Betterness by Kawika Holbrook

Where to Find Me

So, it's obvious I'm having a challenging time updating Betterness, but I'm having no problem with any of these sites:

• Procrastinating Faster in Tumblr
• Kawika on Twitter
• Kawika on FriendFeed
• Kawika on Facebook

I promise to get it all straightened out eventually.

Tracking All 895 of Obama's Promises

Todd Smith at Ideapalooza cataloged every promise Barack Obama made -- all 895, by his count -- in an Excel document. You can track promises made, kept, and broken by both percentage and quantity. The spreadsheet is too large to upload to Google Docs, I discovered, but it cries out to be a web application. (via Marc Ambinder)

November 4, 2008

I voted for Barack Obama. I am proud to be an American.

100 Days

After dozens of Constitutional violations, hundreds of war prisoners tortured, thousands of warrant-less wiretaps, tens of thousands of soldiers wounded or killed, hundreds of thousands of jobs lost, millions of houses foreclosed, billions of dollars squandered, and trillions of dollars of new debt, Bush and Cheney have only 100 days left in office.

I'd like President Obama to issue specific pardons for each and every one of their violations Pardons would help history record their malfeasance while helping the country move on to cleaning up this mess.

Obama's better than that, of course. I'm just so sad that we've spent the last eight years flushing our values, taxes and potential down the drain.

Contrasts

This snapshot of The Wall Street Journal's homepage tonight pretty much says it all for me. One candidate is focused on his negative campaigning and the other one is focused on the economy. One party is convincing more people to donate while the other loses their fight to stop an ethics investigation. I'm pretty sure I know who I'm voting for (and, believe me, it's nice to vote for someone -- rather than against someone -- for a change).

5 Lies I Tell Myself

1. I'm hungry. More than likely, I'm anxious. Or bored. Or distracted. Snacking, which has historically been most of my eating, is a self-medicating habit born of a desire to avoid thinking or doing something I'd rather not. And, like most people surrounded by food options, I often mistake hunger for thirst. Just having nearby some low-calorie drinks or flavored water often does the trick. Yesterday morning, after running 8.5 miles, I though I'd be ravenous. I wasn't. Just thirsty. After a couple waters I was fine until lunch.
2. I'll do it later. Truth is, plenty of times I never get to it -- whatever it is -- or, by the time I start it, it has morphed into something else less useful, helpful, or effective. Procrastination has been the bane of my existence. I excel in the art of finding ways to put off today what I expect can be done tomorrow. Simply wanting to start a task or project later should inform me that it's best to start it now. And, as is often the case, I have multiple tasks bearing down on me, it's best to start the most challenging of them first. Because there's nothing worse that working all week long to find the biggest chore or toughest project waiting for you when the weekend arrives.
3. I'll stretch after. My legs are as flexible as cement pylons. My left calf and Achilles tendon seem permanently sore. You'd think that running the length of a half marathon most weekends would force me to stretch at least a few minutes before and after. You'd think that, but you'd be wrong. I often take off without any stretching and wrap up with a few toe touches and foot flexings. If I have any hope of qualifying for the Boston Marathon, I have to stretch religiously. Five minutes before and after each run is the least I can do for my legs' long-term health.
4. I do my fair share. My wife works late every day. Her job is important. She faces a management crisis almost every week. And her departments are so understaffed that she has no real hope of catching up in the foreseeable future. Which is why I handle the laundry, garbage, dishes, bills, and most other household chores. When people hear that, I get compliments. I shouldn't. Because my "fair share" would really include more. I've never parked a car in our cluttered garage. I've never had made a home for my wife's paperwork. I've relied too much on paying other people to do things I could do myself. Small chores, no longer left for later, would give her more breathing room. Me too, most likely.
5. I know better. There are millions of people who think John McCain is a maverick ("we want four more years of Bush!"), or hope to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry ("gay love threaten me!"), and believe “The Flintstones” was based on a true story ("dumb down science with religion!"). I disagree with their positions and think we'll be worse off if they win in November. However, I won't change a single mind or vote by mocking opponents. The few people who do pay attention to opposing opinions would find it far easier to reflexively defend fact-free positions than listen to someone berating their beliefs. The better argument begins with, "Let me understand you" — and not as a passive-aggressive shiv. I need to re-read "A Conservative for Obama" every time my blood boils over news of another misleading McCain ad, painful Palin gaffe, or misinformed Christian conservative who neither sounds very Christian or acts very conservative. Seek to understand, in other words, before seeking to be understood.

It's All About Me. Or not.

I upload my photos on Flickr. I add my videos to YouTube. I tag my bookmarks with Delicious. I post my random thoughts on Twitter. I add interesting images and quotes to Tumblr. I socialize a bit on Facebook. I save my wishlist on Amazon. I add my restaurant reviews to Yelp. I track my conversations on FriendFeed. And I display everything on Swurl.

With all that, I find it tough to sit down, take a breath, and spend a few minutes composing thoughtful posts on this weblog. Betterness has been my online home since 2001, but I haven't spent enough time working out here. I don't know, honestly, if that's a good thing or not. I have plenty to do: interesting projects at work, marathons to run, and a wife, dog and a couple of cats that care enough about me to want me around.

Still, seeing how few posts have made it to these pages lately makes me wonder if I'm just cataloging things that float into my life rather than examining the actual life I lead.

We'll see what happens.

Passive-Aggressive Weight Loss

So, I'm in a bad mood today and decided to leave a comment on BusinessWeek's story, How Corn Makes You Fat. The author asks readers for suggestions combating cheap junk food fueled by corn subsidies. My $0.02:

If voters won't elect politicians who cut corn subsidies or tax junk food, and if Madison Avenue can't shame the obese to change their habits, you could always start a realty TV show where obnoxious fat people are kidnapped and traded for skinny foreigners dying to vote in free elections. Follow the hijinks of low-information voters struggling to avoid land minds and find potable water in a third-world hell hole while emaciated refugees stare slack-jawed at Costco's produce aisles and ballot measure mailers. Call it "Citizen Swap." I'd watch.

In reality, I'm just pissed that I haven't followed up my not horrible San Francisco Marathon performance with a return to the training program I managed at the beginning of the year. I have two more half marathons and full marathons before the year ends, and I'm not going to qualify for the Boston Marathon if I don't lace up the Nikes and hit the road. There's always a reason, just never an excuse.

I don't know how cathartic this post will be, and I've learned that beating myself up (or down) doesn't motivate me for long.

Simplify

Time for my monthly promise to simplify my life. Reduce the office clutter. Streamline the personal beauracracy. Purge the email inbox. Tackle the critical tasks. Focus on the now. Etc. Perhaps a new iPhone 2.0 task manager app will make things all better. Yeah, that's it.

Snap Session

Me capturing Kevin capturing Tiffany capturing Tom Foremski and Elke
Heiss chatting about the dangers of the online echo chaber during day
one of Sterling Communications semi-annual agency summit.