Preparation: Day 3: Strengthening of the Mind...

A late installment... but, I did get to see There Will Be Blood and win 60 dollars at Brians poker party. So, while I sabotaged my body, I was able to score some quick cash. It's all about the green.

Strengthening of the Mind

Mentally acuity. Focus, power, balance, determination. "like-a-fox"; these are all qualities which I lack. Whether I can actually feel my brain deteriorating inch-by-inch, day-by-day, as I believe it is, or whether I just didn't care about these things when I was kid and now I'm just overanalyzing the situation every time I forget something or become tongue-tied, either way my brain is slowly dying and I need to fight back!

The brain is not only the body's largest and most important sexual organ, it is also used, like a motherboard in a computer, to control the body's activity level and provide supply chain solutions, sending nutrients to the organs that need them most. It is important and I will need to use it, if I want any of these dieting techniques to stick.

I'm not taking those mind-supplements; your Ginsengs, Gingkos, St. John's Worts, pig brains... etc. And I refuse to try that speed-reading program on TV (if that kid could really comprehend 1500 words a minute, it would take him about 7 minutes to read the longest piece I've ever written, and I just don't want that), or the math program with number association where some guy can multiply any two numbers in a split second. These are all helpful in some way, shape, or form, but they all seem like fads.

My problem isn't necessarily my creative thinking, comprehension, or problem-solving abilities, all of which are supplemented by my sedentary lifestyle. Being able to focus and trigger memory recall in social situations IS my problem. This makes me appear to be a good listener, and I do listen attentively. I may even appear to be chumly and warm. But, there is a dark side to my personality. And this dark side is that I have problems making small talk with random people. My brain locks up.

Generally, people talk about the stupidest shit. My definition of "stupid shit" is "completely generic bullshit." Talking about the weather, making jabs at someone's favorite sports team, constant gay jokes, talking about work, or saying how much you would like to fuck some ugly bitch by using some generic euphemism that is never ever funny. It's important that I at least attempt to embrace the standard call and response of these situations, so that I can weed out the weak-minded and keep them properly beneath me. And you ain't hot if you can't talk about stupid shit with stupid people only interested in bodies.

My goal is to become more out-going, which goes hand-in-hand with becoming more active, which release more happiness endorphin into the lobes of my brain. This may occur in the form of random compliments given to random people or simple statements said over and over and over again. For example: "I love the color of your skirt." or "How chilly is it outside? Right?" or "[insert activity here] is so gay" or "They should call McNabb a DimeBack, cause he ain't worth no Quarter." It will mainly take place in the form of simply hanging out with friends more often. The act of hanging out pretty much automatically raises your ability to communicate with jocularity. I will accept play-dates much more often, especially if these play-dates are offered with the hope of rigorous physical activity. The happier and sharper my brain is, the more active I will be.

For my literature indulgences, I will be reading "The Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett, hopefully delving into "A Game of Thrones" by George R. Martin, and finally finishing "The Consolation of Philosophy" by Boethius (for self-empowerment) which is fully translated on my computer. ("When the stars are hidden by black clouds, no light can they afford. When the boisterous south wind rolls along the sea and stirs the surge, the water, but now as clear as glass, bright as the fair sun's light, is dark, impenetrable to sight, with stirred and scattered sand. The stream, that wanders down the mountain's side, must often find a stumbling-block, a stone within its path torn from the hill's own rock. So too shalt thou: if thou wouldst see the truth in undimmed light, choose the straight road, the beaten path; away with passing joys! away with fear! put vain hopes to flight! and grant no place to grief! Where these distractions reign, the mind is clouded o'er, the soul is bound in chains.") Boethius knows how to kick it, old-school! Plus, I will download some books-on-tape to my IPod and listen to them while I'm riding my bike, saving time and money.

For my intellectual indulgences, I will be playing Brain Age 2 for the Nintendo DS, which automatically tracks my mental progression; this aids in memory recall and quick-thinking skills needed in conversation. I will be continuing to play board games as much as possible, and will be purchasing another title in the GIPF project series of abstract strategy games, either "Tamsk", "Punct", or "Gipf" itself (I already own "Yinsh" and "Dvonn"); these games invite conversation and promote spatial arrangement skills. And I'll probably be calculating some more Poker odds as well in the near future.

The only other thing to "mind" (haha!) is my brain's lack of self-discipline. Discipline comes from repetition, scheduling, and taking actual joy in routine, everyday activities. I am a man, not a slave! And these discipline issues will be addressed in further installments of this lecture series.

I may never be an anthropomorphic fox with a bow and arrow, but I can always strive to be a crafty son of a bitch. And that is all that matters...

Tomorrow, Days 4&5- Mix and Matched together as the final day ticks past and TC begins his long journey...


(preparations for tomorrow: stop writing so damn much...)
Art by Karabiner