I heh heh heard that

On the termilink in Houston, I overheard a husband teasing his wife. His seemingly sweet, "Look, she takes after her Mom" could have been taken as a compliment if the daughter he was holding hadn't been firmly grasping the vertical pole he was standing next to.

I couldn't help but laugh, prompting his wife to assure me he was kidding.

So... where ya goin'?

Am I on crack or were all the folks working security at Logan airport more chatty than usual today?

One uniformed man stood to the side of the line, making friendly eye contact and bantering with people as they walked by. A business casual attired man stood just before the security screening area and pulled aside every third or fourth person with "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

Both men asked about travel plans and both managed to engage the folks they talked to.

I find it a little sad that living here 1/2 my life has trained me to see this behavior as a bit out of the ordinary. Then again, if I still lived in Texas, I might not have noticed what is most likely the outcome of some sort of TSA training.

I imagine these TSA employees were utilizing a new method for sniffing out suspicious behavior and therefore the friendly exchanges were just part of their job.

I appreciated it anyway.

In my opinion, it's a more pleasant way to be interrogated. But more than that, these guys were most likely using an unnatural skill set. Striking up conversations with  strangers is part of the culture in Texas. In Boston, it isn't.

I can't help but wonder what born and bred Bostonians will think.

This is a mobile test.

I've had the ability to post from my phone for a few months now, but it's taken a new input method (SwiftKey) to inspire me to try it.

SwiftKey X Beta is an Android keyboard application that uses a prediction engine to come up with likely options for the next word in your sentence.

I thought I loved Swipe, but I am coming to understand that it was merely a crush.

The only downside, other than a few beta glitches, is that this app highlights just how predictable I am...

-elsa

Give me a high two point five!

I recently spent a few weeks visiting family in delightful Del Rio.  When I booked my tickets, I was determined to stick with my new eating and exercise routine.  My sneakers and exercise clothes were packed along with plenty of hope that my magic app would maneuver me passed years of bad childhood habits.

Sweet bread, atole de arroz, barbacoa, and many other yummy treats later…  I had to admit that the pull of food in my parents’ house had clearly won.  (To be honest, there hadn’t been much of a contest.)

It was a different story regarding exercise.  I had two major excuses that I would use to put off starting a workout -- “it’s too hot” & “I don’t want to miss out on time with my family”.  Luckily for me, the sun goes down in the evening and every member of my family eventually has to get some sleep.

No matter how tired or stuffed full of homemade enchiladas I was, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday night I walked the heck out of my neighborhood.

If I had managed to eat well AND pull off those workouts, I would ask for a high five.  Since I did half, how about a high 2 ½?

At the gym, on the phone

I recently got a new phone.  My old one was on its last legs – crackling through phone calls and texting a few too many stucccck keys.  Although I was hesitant to replace my previously reliable, little Centro, I have to say I am absolutely digging Android.  In fact, with just a tiny dose of exaggeration, I could even say that it’s already IMPROVED my LIFE.

Perhaps it should be too embarrassing to admit that an app I downloaded for my phone is ultimately what got me to join a gym again.  And who would believe that a complimentary set of apps are what’s behind the fact that I’ve been consistently eating more vegetables than ever before?

But it’s true.  CardioTrainer, Calorific, and Weight Loss for CardioTrainer by WorkSmart Labs somehow manage to make the whole process behind working out and eating more consciously interesting and fun.  Fun?

The little incentives programmed into these applications managed to spur me into action when knowledge and intention themselves weren’t doing the trick.  In fact, I’m in the middle of my 5th week and I haven’t missed a workout badge yet.

Yay!

Old Notes

The following note is on its way to the recycling bin.  I found it yesterday while sorting through old papers, and after a few minutes of being absolutely baffled, pieced together that it’s the result of an exercise I tried with respect to an old story I was preparing for a MassMouth competition.

The exercise is pretty simple: commit key elements of your story to paper, utilizing representational images.  As you may be able to tell, producing a work of art is not the point…

Almost a year after having walked through this exercise, I have no recollection of having done so.  Yet, without a doubt this is my handwriting and my scribble style. 

Bad behavior

“I don’t care what you are.  I care about what you did.” – Jay Smooth

This video came up during a meeting yesterday.  Smooth makes some great points about approaching someone regarding their unacceptable conduct.  Although he brings these points up in the context of addressing another’s racist behavior, they are applicable to most situations where you are dealing with other people.

I highly recommend a listen.  

How to tell people they sound racist, by Jay Smooth