I Love Boise!

I haven't written anything on this blog in a long time. I think it's been over two moths. Inspirations for a good blog take time to build, and I hope this one has brewed long enough. 

I love Boise! I've made my bunk in places ranging from one coast to the other, but by far Boise has infected my heart. There are many reason's my wife and I choose to make this our permanent residence. Lots of sun, few bugs, mild winters, hot dry summers, and good camping spots are just a few. However, I find the people to be my main reason. 

I found Boise as a result of falling in love with Sarah. I would never have thought to come here on my own. It was back in 1994 that we met, and it's been an incredible ride since. We came out here to visit her Dad a couple of times while stationed at Ft. Riley, Kansas in the U.S. Army. After our wedding that fall and another year of service we decided that Boise would be the place to raise our family.

We got here in the late fall of 1995. Sarah was pregnant with our first child, who was born the next spring. What I found upon arrival was an openness unlike anything I had previously encountered. People here are willing to look you in the eye, say hello as they pass by on the street and offer assistance at the the first sign of dismay. They care deeply for their surroundings and take pride in their property. Every town has pockets of decay, but none so few as Boise. From the most grandiose house on Harrison or Warm Springs to the little neighborhoods that blanket the valley, people just seem to take a bit more pride in their property, than in most of the other places I've lived. It isn't so much the place as it is the people that make Boise a great place to live.

For instance, I became a member of the George Fox University Toastmasters. It is made up of people who are there to improve themselves in a safe and constructive environment. I don't do very well in front a crowd, as I learned presenting various topics during my MBA coursework. I gave my first speech in a Toastmasters meeting and I can tell you that I was more comfortable during that talk than any time during school. Today's meeting featured three speakers; each amazing in their own way. Not only did I receive great information on three topics, but I was able to learn about giving a captivating speech. But the point here is that Boise is the place to find people of this caliber in concentrate. I know it's biased, but if you're thinking about moving here I recommend a second opinion. You can check out Move2Boise. They'll tell you a lot of what you may want to know. And if that isn't enough, come for a visit and ask people. You'll pretty much always find what you expect, but in Boise you'll find so much more.

PS. If you are thinking about coming to a Toastmasters, comment here and I will get in touch with you. It is really a good time.

The Mind of a George

A caveman saw another walking up a steep incline on some round rocks, and just as his cave compadre stepped on one stone it rolled out from under him. This simultaneously elicited an uproariously hysterical laugh and helped invent the wheel at the same time. You'll get it in a minute.

What you are reading this instant is an extension of my mind. As a matter of fact, everything we see that has been created by man is an extension of the human mind. It is more than amazing to me that what is created in our brains comes from slightly less than random electro-chemical exchanges. We often use words like, "it just popped into my head" or "I just had the most curious thought". Do thoughts really just pop in to peoples heads? I have an inkling, a slight instinctual notion, this happens more often than we'd like to admit. Could it be what we call genius is nothing more than an accident of molecular biology? The greatest realizations of the human mind in all of history, however, were most likely not a matter of pure chance. That's why I used the phrase "slightly less than random" earlier. There most certainly is intention. Perhaps the one thought that spawned the rest of the invention all started out as someone's eyes snapping open at 3:57 AM, and a "Wouldn't it be great if..." 

Wouldn't it be great if donuts came with jelly inside? Wouldn't it be great if the cure for malaria was found? Wouldn't it be great if I could share my thoughts with people all over the world, quickly and inexpensively? Wouldn't it be great if people asked themselves, "wouldn't it be great if..." more often. 

Being able to share these thoughts with all of you (whoever you are), has helped me become a better writer, for one and for two, it's helped me learn how to better order my thoughts. I judge my own mind to be one of those odd brains that's a mix of analytical, and creative, with an ADD moderator between the two. There is a constant battle going on. The creative side is constantly coming up with ways to solve for "X", and the analytical side is tearing down the creations next door. Perhaps the best way to achieve a balance is to let them fight it out when I'm not around. For the most part that is when I'm sleeping. Some problems seem to be too big for me to solve, so I table them and let that other 90% of my brain I supposedly don't use deal with it. It reminds me of the poor cobbler who goes to sleep, and durning the night a bunch of elves show up to hammer out a couple dozen pair of shoes. What is really interesting is that those elves don't let me know when they've finished so I can sell the shoes. It is usually someone else who triggers the thought and I get hit with the "Aha!". That "aha moment" comes when  suddenly all the pieces of the puzzle fall in to place and a picture becomes clear. It happens when study and experiment reveals the sought after answer, and sometimes it happens  just walking down the street. 

Take Einstein for instance. Did he just wake up one morning or in the middle of the night and say "Mass moving at the speed of light squared is equal to energy"? I'm doubtful, but even so I'm sure there were parts of special or general relativity were derived from sudden and unexpected realizations. And then there's the conundrum of unifying quantum physics and general relativity. He struggled with than one for many years, and never came up with the answer. Wouldn't it be great if someone could finally figure that one out. It might make teleportation like on Star Trek possible. That would be so cool. One minute you're standing looking at the inversion outside your window in Boise, Idaho and the next you're on the edge of a volcano in Costa Rica, tri-corder giving mysterious readings. See what I mean about the ADD. Anyway, my point is human brains are strange and beautiful things. The most amazing stuff comes out of them; sometimes by accident.

What is your "Wouldn't it be great if..." and what does to take to get to that "Aha"? 

 

Close the Door!

How many times has someone yelled at you to close the door? How many times have you yelled at your kids to close the door?

I recently met a man who has a very helpful occupation. He tests your house to see how well it's keeping in the heat when it's cold outside, or how well it's keeping in the cold when it's hot outside. His name is Lee Cotten and he is the owner of Idaho Thermal Imaging. He has a device that he uses to scan your home for heat-leaks in the winter, or cool air leaks in the summer. On his website you can see pictures of the trouble spots most homes have for heat transfer. You'll be amazed at some of these pictures. 

Better yet, lee has effective solutions for sealing out the cold (or conversely sealing in the cool air in summer). Sure comes in handy in Idaho for thosetimes when the heater (or AC) seems to be kicking on all the time. 

Those of you with older homes that have wood-burning fireplaces typically lose the amount of heat equivalent to leaving a window open 365 days a year. Or almost like leaving the door open year round, imagine the yelling? Lee has a range of services to keep you warm in winter and cool in the summer. Both of those prospects are nice, but what is really great about Lee is that he'll keep your heating dollars from leaking out of your wallet as well. "Stay warm and save money" Sounds pretty cool to me.