What's Your Life Purpose?

These are my answers to Mark Manson's slightly quirky "7 Strange Questions That Help You Find Your Life Purpose" which you can find at http://markmanson.net/life-purpose .

1. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE FLAVOR OF SHIT SANDWICH AND DOES IT COME WITH AN OLIVE?
This question made no sense to me.  First of all, the wording is stupidly designed to grab one's attention rather than to provoke thought.  Perhaps you'll find it easier to answer this, "What miserable or tedious activity are you willing to endure in pursuit of your passion?"  Even worded this way, it's difficult to answer -- "one man's meat is another man's poison."  There are activities that I would dread (such an influencing someone to invest in something or purchase something) that others would relish.  And those others might assume that everyone enjoys those activities.  I'm sure there are activities that most normal people abhor that I don't mind.  But I don't know what those activities might be.  Nevertheless, the first thing I came up with is this: I'm willing to repeatedly work and rework something until it's perfect.

2. WHAT IS TRUE ABOUT YOU TODAY THAT WOULD MAKE YOUR 8-YEAR-OLD SELF CRY?
My 8-year-old self had absolutely no empathy toward people.  He would've cried if his cracker broke while he was buttering it, or if he got stung by a bee, or if the fast food joint put tomato on his burger even after he told them not to.  But he wouldn't cry over his future self.  Still, I'm sure he'd be disappointed that, as an engineer, I haven't invented anything cool like a space probe, rocket ship or killo-zap ray gun.

3. WHAT MAKES YOU FORGET TO EAT AND POOP?
Art and coding, and especially Artful Coding.  Figuring stuff out, like how to perform calculus with batch files.

4. HOW CAN YOU BETTER EMBARRASS YOURSELF?
This is another nonsensical question.  What it's really asking is, "What's something you'd really like to do but you have refrained from only because you think you'd look silly doing it or people would laugh at you?"  For me, there's nothing worthwhile to be done that I consider silly.  Become a rock musician?  Sure, why not?  Go on an autumn bike tour in Vermont?  I'm there, even though my legs sometimes don't work too well.
The closest I can get is perhaps publishing a very personal, revealing, intimate autobiography (one that would include even all my erotic fantasies) prior to the deaths of all my immediate family members and myself.

5. HOW ARE YOU GOING TO SAVE THE WORLD?
Yeah, right?  Like anyone's going to listen to me?  The world will have to fend for itself.  I'm done thinking about what's wrong with it.  I can't even convince Google to provide an option to turn off Autosave or implement Copy-Drag in its online editors, which is why I'm writing this in a word processing program rather than the default Blogger post editor.
Well, still, on my own small personal scale, I am doing all I can to lower my ecological footprint.  I didn't install the air conditioner in the kitchen this year - it wasn't oppressively hot enough.  I'm a hypermiler, but I'd prefer to walk or bike everywhere if I could.  I'd like to go solar and live off the grid.  I wear clothes until they're threadbare - even the thrift stores don't want my old clothes.  I'm willing to forage more, especially if I can safely identify edible invasive plants that can be eaten raw or steamed.  I fix broken appliances rather than throw them out to make room for new ones.  I've started to find uses for ordinary twigs in home repairs and crafts.

6. GUN TO YOUR HEAD, IF YOU HAD TO LEAVE THE HOUSE ALL DAY, EVERY DAY, WHERE WOULD YOU GO AND WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
Easy.  I would go into a large forested watershed that's blazed with hiking trails, bringing my camera, a hearty snack or two and lots of water, and hike all day.  And you don't need a gun to make that happen.
What's with the gun thing, anyway?  Is this written for Millennials who stereotypically stay indoors in front of their computers all day?

7. IF YOU KNEW YOU WERE GOING TO DIE ONE YEAR FROM TODAY, WHAT WOULD YOU DO AND HOW WOULD YOU WANT TO BE REMEMBERED?
Within one year, I might frame my best cat photos and exhibit them at the library, and I could also use the exhibit as a platform for a fundraiser for our favorite cat shelter.

So what does all this mean?  Is my purpose to do Artful Coding for a Cat Shelter that's located in an off-grid cabin close to a woodland stream?  If you leave out the detail about the Cat Shelter, it could make me out to be like Ted Kaczynski.


What are your answers?  I want to know.

Wednesday Weigh-In 20140925

I had the most amazing ice cream on Saturday while visiting a dairy farm. And I had real half and half, which contained just milk and cream. Imagine that! The ice cream in the cartons at the supermarket is just junk. It's a tease to make you crave more.

Waist = 40"
Height = 5' 9"

References:

1. Wikipedia BMI page
2. Tanita Scale with Body Fat monitor
3. Javascript must be enabled to view the data.

Wednesday Weigh-In 20140918

Improper eating makes me more sensitive to allergens. When I start to feel congestion in my nose or chest, I'll be more careful to avoid wheat and dairy. But since I've started taking effective allergy medicine, I no longer bother to restrict my diet.

Waist = 40"
Height = 5' 9"

References:

1. Wikipedia BMI page
2. Tanita Scale with Body Fat monitor
3. Javascript must be enabled to view the data.

Wednesday Weigh-In 20140910

Last week I wrote how I started to use Flonase, a steroidal nasal inhaler, to alleviate nasal congestion. Well, my nasal passages are open now, but I had a wicked sinus infection over the weekend. It's still with me, but it's not as bad now. I know that steroid use can lower one's immunity to infection, so I wonder if that's what brought it on.

Waist = 40"
Height = 5' 9"

References:

1. Wikipedia BMI page
2. Tanita Scale with Body Fat monitor
3. Javascript must be enabled to view the data.

Dream: Bees on the Estate Grounds

I'm outside, visiting the grounds of an estate, walking around the house / building.  Perhaps I'm part of a school class trip, because at one point I'm strolling around with a school boy my own age.  We notice some scat on the unkempt back lawn.  We start to wonder what animal made it.  "Bear" comes up, and it reminds me about a scene in an animated movie that I saw a long time ago.  I describe the scene to him.  It involved a conversation about a bear who was timid about pooping.  I act out the part of the bear, pretending to look for a comfortable place to poop.  The deer he was with told him that he just had to relax and not think about it.  And while the deer was explaining that, his poop was dropping out in a graceful arc.

We walk further, clockwise around the estate, until we're nearly in front, but still on the side.  I'm studying the ground carefully now, because this is where I started my outdoor tour, and I recall seeing many interesting bees nearby.  I love bees.  We reach a rocky path, on which many bees are crawling.  It's difficult to find a clear space to step.  I see a "mamma" bee that's about the size of a squirrel.  I know it's a mamma because there are so many normal-size bees attached to it.  I urge the boy I'm with to be careful.

Wednesday Weigh-In 20140903

I've started to use Flonase, a steroidal nasal inhaler. This has eliminated the nasal congestion that prevented me from using the CPAP machine at night to prevent sleep apnea, so I'm sleeping better than before. I wish I'd done this sooner, but I was "between" doctors -- my regular PCP died, and it has taken me a long time to start up with a new one.

Waist = 39.75"
Height = 5' 9"

References:

1. Wikipedia BMI page
2. Tanita Scale with Body Fat monitor
3. Javascript must be enabled to view the data.