Pepe Miguel

Anniversary 2012

Awesome Sky at Chesapeake Beach

Bavarian Inn Royal Suite

Suite Two

Suite 3

Suite Four

Clocktower, Shepherdstown

Clocktower 2

Bavarian Inn 

Bavarian Exterior

Overlook

Outdoor

Bavarian Exterior 2

Shepherdstown University

S.U. 2

Meckelberg Inn

Old Town painter

Words of the Week

Censorious-- Harshly critical, as in, "His letter to the editor was quite censorious of the party line."

Extirpation-- To destroy totally, as in, "The Religious Right's censorious attack on the First Amendment may yet lead to the extirpation of religious liberty."

Anodyne-- A source of soothing comfort, as in, "Her censorious writing functioned as an anodyne for the barely literate even as it contributed to the extirpation of scholarship in the mainstream press."

An Experiment in Balance

Image from afistfuloftalent.com

Those of us who make our living as writers almost entirely on the web are even more prone than most to become “addicted” to online life. After all, our careers depend to a large extent on being constantly connected. To remain relevant, we need to alert people by way of social media of our latest contributions to blogs and websites. In the process, we tend to become absorbed in our colleagues’ posts and the lively back-and-forth they produce. If we want people to follow our own blogs, we must keep them current. As we write articles, bid on new projects, and submit query letters (all via electronic media), we inevitably become distracted by the hundreds of online news sources available. As a result, it becomes quite easy and natural to be online more or less constantly during our waking hours.

There’s both an upside and a downside to this perpetual connectedness. On the positive side, we have all of the world’s information at our fingertips at any given time; we can research the pieces we write in a fraction of the time it took in our pre-Internet days. We also have the marvelous ability to connect with people all over the globe and benefit from their take on everything from current events to cultural norms to philosophy and religion. However, having multiple sources of information constantly competing for our attention inevitably leads to a shorter attention span. We soon find ourselves needing to have a secondary screen open even while watching television. If we’re watching something substantive and informative, we naturally miss a great deal of content as our eyes move back and forth from one screen to another. (Although the practice of muting the TV and reading online during loud, obnoxious commercials has much to recommend it.) There have been times when there was something I wanted to watch on TV while a deadline simultaneously loomed. At those times, I’ve occasionally had the TV screen, my laptop, and my phone all competing for my attention at the same time!

The forthcoming DSM-V (the manual of mental health disorders that serves as a guide to every mental health professional) is about to provisionally list “Internet-Use Disorder” as a new health concern. In a fascinating series of studies, neurologists have discovered that serious consumers of electronic media—the sort that always have at least one screen open and often more—have brain wave patterns that scan almost exactly like those of cocaine addicts. They need more or less constant stimulation from media in the same way a serious addict always needs the next hit of his drug of choice. I’m ambivalent about naming new disorders all the time; I think it tends to erode the public’s confidence in psychiatry as the serious field of inquiry that it is. Nonetheless, my own experience with the addictive quality of electronic media leads me to believe it can be an enemy of mindfulness. I’m at least as serious about maintaining ongoing mindful awareness as I am about remaining connected to sources of information. I therefore intend to try to observe a weekly “unplugged day” as an experiment in nurturing greater mindfulness.

My wife is skeptical. When I told her about the topic of this article, she replied, “You can’t go a single hour unplugged; how can you write an article on the importance of having a weekly ‘unplugged day?’” She has a good point. It would be intellectually dishonest to write about the topic as if I’d already discovered its benefits; hence the provisional tone of this post. I want to give it a try and see what happens, and to check my results against other writers on this blog and others. If the analogy to chemical dependency holds, I suspect to experience withdrawal symptoms before I realize benefits.

My first scheduled “unplugged day” is scheduled for tomorrow. I’ll let you know how it affects me! I’m quite interested in learning how other people negotiate the perpetually-available sources of information while remaining intellectually and emotionally balanced.

Copyright © 2012 by William K. Ferro
All rights reserved

Words of the Week (a little early)

Image from mtsu.edu

Anathematize-- To pronounce an anathema upon; as in, “The synagogue of Amsterdam did its best to anathematize Benedict Spinoza.”

Lapidary-- Having the elegance and precision associated with inscriptions on
monumental stone; as in “The lapidary words on Descartes’ tombstone anathematize the times in which the philosopher lived.”

Mimetic-- Imitative; as in, “Despite their tendency to anathematize him, future generations of Greek thinkers were nonetheless mimetic of Socrates' lapidary pronouncements.”

Words of the Week

Image from trulycaribbean.com

Athwart -- In opposition to; as in, "I stand athwart the distinguished gentleman's ill-advised legislation."

Meretricious -- Tawdry, falsely attractive; as in, "The majority stood athwart the the proposal, saying it was at best meretricious and at worst a threat to liberty."

Discrepant -- At variance; as in, "Analyses from the panel of medical ethicists were highly discrepant. Some supported the measure wholeheartedly, others found it ethically neutral; still others stood strongly athwart it, judging it to be meretricious." 

Ten Life Lessons from My Feline Companions

Empress Polly Rae and the Mercurial Pepe Miguel are my twin muses. They sit beside me all day while I work, often walking across my keyboard hfi96tw83j6 to make content suggestions and hfi96tw83j6 editorial revisions. (Pausing now to ask Polly Rae to hold further revisions until after the first draft is complete. I cannot promise she will concur.)

In addition to lending me support and encouragement in my work, they are also a source of great wisdom for living. I offer these ten life lessons I've gleaned from observing them over the years.

1) Be flexible.

   The ability of these beautiful animals to stretch, move, and leap about gracefully reminds me that a lithe spine is a thing of beauty. So is a flexible mind.

2) Sleep when you're tired.

   Cats know the importance of good quality sleep. They are masters of the art of napping, because they get a lot of practice.

3) Don't be afraid to demand ask for what you want.    

  Pepe and his sister are not in the least bit circumspect when there's something they need or want. They think nothing of standing on top of us at 4:00 a.m., pawing at our faces and making their demands known. These usually involve one or more of the following: a) Pet me. b) Chase me. c) Refresh my water bowl. d) Clean my facilities. e) Remember that fresh tuna you gave me a few nights ago? I'll have another serving. No, not later, now. Get up.

4) Engage in play whenever you feel like it.

   If cats worked, they definitely wouldn't be workaholics. They take play time seriously.

5) Enjoy your family and friends.

   Cats love to hang. Literally and figuratively.

6. Stay clean.

   Cats are seriously devoted to their personal ablutions. Fastidious, clean, and well-groomed, they take pride in maintaining a dignified personal appearance. They insist on privacy when performing these ablutions; interruptions are met with ironic expressions. "Thanks so much for picking me up in the middle of my bath. Now I have to start over."

7. Embrace self-determination.

   Cats enjoy the company of humans, but are above demeaning themselves by fawning over them or seeking their approval. They have a strong sense of self and enjoy their independence. Their motto is, Civility, yes; servility, no. 

8. Indulge your curiosity in the wider world.

  Whoever first said, “Curiosity killed the cat” knew nothing about them. They are curious, and their devotion to free inquiry cannot be quenched. They also temper their fearless curiosity by taking the proper precautions; they’re survivors.

9. Don’t be afraid to try new things.

  Cats are intrepid explorers. Never content to get stuck in a rut, they are constantly evolving, discovering new and exciting things to get into. Like sock drawers, laundry baskets, etc., etc.

10. Find rituals that work for you and stick with them.

While maintaining a healthy skepticism about “received wisdom” and tradition, they are highly creative in fashioning their own rituals to enhance and enrich their lives. Pepe never tires of being brushed in his box, and Polly assumes my raison d’etre is to chase her throughout the house. And of course she's quite right.

(We're Polly Rae and Pepe Miguel, and we approved this message.)

Copyright ©  2012 by William K. Ferro
All rights reserved

Lift-Off

Image from indiancountrymedianetwork.org

Apparently my first campaign speechwriting gig achieved lift-off. The client won the office he was seeking. Congratulations, Mr. President!