The Way of Ken

Ruts are dangerous. Life is action, and if it’s not action, it’s a slow death. I’ve decided it’s time for new chapters, both in life, and on paper. I’ve been in a rut, and I got a job to break it. Now I’ve quit the job, and I’ll take the habits to my freelancing, my fitness, and my writing.

Ze Frank is back too, and the first video of his new show resonates with my current feelings.

Invocation

Not these. These skeletons you have stored away in the deepest, darkest closet, behind coats that have hung for decades without being touched.

The type of skeletons that if anyone found out about, you might end up with more skeletons.
These aren’t the sentimental bones of ex-lovers that you’ve laid in the corner. They have been willingly forgotten, and when they come out, rearing their pale white skulls, tearing at you with bony fingers and looking into your soul, you can only quiver like a child in the re-realization of your darkest self. You don’t want to remember these things, but you will never truly forget. When nobody is around to help or distract you, deep in thought, they come back to you without warning. They are manifestations of your worst times, and your actions at those times. A reminder that even though you try to live well you are capable of moral wrongs that, in everyday life, you look upon with the greatest disdain. Slights of morality such that you can’t help but question our innate goodness as people.

Skeletons are our greatest personal demons, upon sight of, we are prone to paralysis until the noise and distractions of our lives can rescue us.

How do you deal with your skeletons? Do you run, do you fight, or is there acceptance?

November 1st starts National Novel Writing Month. At nanowrimo.org, anyone can sign up to be an official participant. Write 50,000 words by the end of November, and you’re a winner. Here is my profile. Be my writing buddy.

I haven’t written a story in a long time, and never one more than a thousand words. I suppose my old travel blog from 2007 could be considered a story, but then I had real life events to write about.

In the month of November I have to create a story.

I think I have a good idea, but it isn’t nearly developed enough. I have a basic setting and plot, but I’m lacking the path of the story itself. You know, the things that happen. It also might be a little out of my league for this exercise. I see 50,000 words in a month being an issue for this story, as it has sub plots and a couple of complex characters. It will certainly be slow going for a first timer. Maybe it’s a good long term project, or one for NaNoWriMo next year, when I’m a bit more seasoned.

One of the other options that I’m considering is a fantasy adventure. I’m a closet fan of sword and sorcery novels, specifically Forgotten Realms,  so I have a handle on the genre. I think I could crank something out in the given time.

50,000 words breaks down to around 1700 words per day if I write every day, and 2500 words per day if I write 5 days per week. At the very least, it will be great practice and will build a writing habit. Best case scenario, I have most of a workable, readable story at the end of the month.

Thanks to the /r/writing folks on reddit.com for introducing me to this. May your chapters come easily.

The scourge of the workout world, if you believe the common excuse, is time. I can’t tell you how often I’ve heard people say they just don’t have time to exercise. The average American has time to watch four hours of television per day, but there  isn’t enough time to maintain a healthy, strong body.

So what takes up all the rest of the time? Normal everyday chores, I would think. Maintaining the lawn, cleaning the house, taking care of the kids, and of course the job.

Today I was going to work, and noticed that I had my mp3 player with me. This isn’t something that I use much, but it has it’s place. I got to thinking, since I have been slipping on my workouts, that I could work out while working. The result is what you see here, which I named The “I don’t have enough time to exercise” workout.

You may be tasking, cleaning house, mowing the lawn, or if it is an option, at your job. Turn on your mp3 player and “play all” while it’s set to “random”. Every time a new song starts, do a set of a body weight exercise. It’s that easy. If you skip a song, you still have to do a set for the song you skipped. You can pick from multitudes of exercises. You don’t need any equipment for most of them.

Here are some exercises you can do with little or no equipment: Push-ups, Body Squats, Sit-ups, Chair dips, Walking Lunges, and Burpees. The best results come from doing these types of exercises to failure, but do what works for your lifestyle. I suggest 3 sets of 10, 15, 20, or whatever you’re capable of.

No sitting down or standing still between sets. Keep moving whenever you’re doing resistance exercises. It will reduce cramps, circulate nutrients, and keep oxygen flowing.

Always strive to do better at each workout. Your workouts should be three or four times per week, with a day break in between. This will allow your body to recover and get stronger.

Welcome to my blog. Here you can expect me to post irregularly on various topics.

My site name is a play on words. Ken is a word for cognizance, perception or understanding. Therefore my way, the way of ken, is the way of knowing, perceiving and understanding. My goal and method is to look at the world, and myself, with a clear, analytical and equanimous mind. Do ye ken?

About Me

I hold the common belief that to know oneself is the greatest knowledge there is. I am a practicing meditator. I do concentration (samatha) practice as well as insight (vipassanna). I don’t participate in the rituals and dogma that often taint core practices. I’m not a religious person, and I don’t believe in a magical sky daddy (read: God), in the way that many religions do.

I love conspiracy theories, fringe science, “unexplained” phenomena and mysteries. This doesn’t mean that I necessarily accept any theories or explanations as truth. I do think that it is okay to analyze dissident hypotheses and that doing so is good exercise for your mind.

I think that the society we live in is a runaway machine. This machine, just like any, is a system of interlocking parts, paths, and impulses. I would call it a self replicating consumption machine programmed for progress. Progress is currently defined as growth and consumption (on more than one level), and is this way because of our immaturity as a race and the influences of an oligarchical power structure. This current system is unsustainable and will fall apart if it isn’t dismantled and reworked.

Feel free to send me an email or comment on this blog. Ask me questions, debate me, or just say hello. I encourage and look forward to your feedback.

ken (at) thewayofken (dot) com