Monthly Archive for February, 2009

Stress

Published on February 27, 2009 in Thoughts. 0 Comments

Cool stuff.  We had a guest speaker in PSYCO 105 yesterday.  Well, a guy trying to get a job.  He was really good.

I decided again that I really like psychology.  I like learning and knowing why people are the way they are.  Or maybe I just like learning why I am the way I am…

Either way, we started learning about stress yesterday.  It’s stuff that’s really interesting, but then you think about it a little more and, yeah, I know that.  Almost common sense, but you just don’t think about it.

He was talking about how more primitive animals don’t have as much stress.  But why do we have it then?

Stress motivates action.  We stress about threats to our reproductive success.  And what threatens that?  Status.  How do we improve our status?

Is anger beneficial?  I guess it motivates punishment.  But why do we want to punish?  His example of increasing anger with decreasing benefit was if somebody jumped in front of you to grab the payphone to tell his roommate to grab his lottery ticket because he won $5, would make us really angry; compare this to the same situation, but the guy won $3M, we would be upset but understanding.  Why??

He said that we get angry when feel underestimated.  In the previous example, yeah we’re worth wating so this guy can win $3M, but to win $5???  Really???  You couldn’t wait 2 minutes???  So we get angry.  We are entitled to higher status and we need to change people’s minds about it.

It was interesting how this was tied back to our immune systems and getting sick if we’re stressed all the time.  We can wait an hour or two to fight the flu bug while we run away from this lion.  But if we keep having to run away from the lion, keep releasing cortisol, eventually we will get run down.  Sure, yeah.  But then he got into depression.  When we’re depressed, we need support.  We need people to care.  We need people to not underestimate us.  Hmm… tie that back to the last paragraph…

Then he started talking about Type A personalities and anger.  Anger-induced stressed Type A males are more likely to have heart problems than those who smoke or have high cholesterol.  Eeeshk!!

Maybe the intuitive way I look at these people is opposite.  Maybe Type A’s have higher natural cortisol levels, which makes them Type A.  Hmm…

Cool stuff.

::SAdamson

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The debut of the SAdamsonReview!

Published on February 21, 2009 in Biking and Life. 1 Comment

Well, I created the SAdamsonReview quite a while ago now. I saw an ad for a new Velonews tech editor. Man, that would be sweet! But I have absolutely no experience! I couldn’t even be the guy under the tech editor. But I do have to start somewhere… so here I go!

I figure I have enough experience with buying my own bike stuff and keeping up with a bit of tech that I can get this started. One day I hope that maybe I can get starting getting product from companies that want my opinions and that maybe I can actually make a difference!

So keep checking the site out. I’ll try and keep it up to date and totally geeked out!

::SAdamson

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Prima Strada!

Published on February 20, 2009 in Life and Thoughts. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

Still having good times here in Victoria!  Another great, sunny ride today.

Last night Taylor and I went out for pizza at Prima Strada.  Delicious!  Good North American Italian-style pizza. I just happened to see it when I was searching for a grocery store my first day here and it turns out it’s really good.  A great pizza place, 2 blocks from here, who’da thunk??

My mom asked if it was like Italy… and I said I don’t think anything is like Italian pizza in Italy, but I’ve found still really good thin crust, straight-forward pizzas around here.  They’re really good.  And I really like both, but they’re not the same…

Then we went to the Cook St. Liquor Store.  More good times.  More different kinds of beer that I haven’t even heard of let alone seen or tried.  Got some good Phillips beer.  Oooh, delicious!

It just reminded me how much I like this kind of place.  I mean, I hate walking, but I love the idea of being able to walk to the grocery store, liquor store, coffee shops, good restaurants.  I like the independents.  I like people who like good things.  I like people who care.

Then I went to 2% Jazz again today.  More people who care.  Got some good coffee to take back to Transcend and for myself.  Good product.  Good service.

I like these people.  These business people.  But they’re not who I think of when I think of, say, Wall Street business people.  They’re not out to make a buck.  They’re out to provide something great.  Great customer service.  Great product.

These people love what they do.  That’s why they do it.  I mean, they have to make money, they’re still a business, we can’t live in this world and not participate in it enough to make money.  But they do what they do because they love it.  That’s why they’re good at what they do.  That’s why they provide great product and great services.

Yup.  Life is good.

Thanks.

::SAdamson

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Cool stuff

Published on February 18, 2009 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , .

To go along with catching up on all kinds of stuff that I enjoy, but haven’t put the time forward to do or look at, I started looking a little closer at this place.  I know I’ve sent you there before, but I started looking at more of it for myself.  Good stuff!  I actually just ordered one of their t-shirts too!

I don’t know what it is, but I just like the artistic, cultured, down-to-earth kind of attitude there.  Maybe it has to do with me being in Victoria now too, but i just really like it.  Something about the local oxford foods, 2% Jazz, pushing the right things.

It’s not about putting something out there to make money; it’s about providing a product or service, it’s about education, it’s about smiling and having fun, it’s about taking the time to do things right.

You will never be here again… enjoy it!

Wow, I wasn’t really planning on taking that little detour here today, but I guess that’s what’s on my mind…

And I was working on updating my links yesterday… oh man, that’s gonna be a big job.

Happy Wednesday!  See you on the ‘hat…

::SAdamson

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I want a Darwin amphibian to put next to my Jesus fish

Published on February 17, 2009 in Thoughts. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

Yup.  It’s true.  I do.

Here is great article I just finished, discussing the public opinion of the guy who lived 200 years ago…

Now I certainly don’t claim to be any sort of expert on these highly debatable, difficult, and likely unanswerable questions, but I do claim to have my own thoughts and opinions…

Evolution and it’s evidence is highly undeniable.  The specifics and extent of which are something well beyond me, and that’s ok.  But I also know that my favourite book tells me that God created the world.  It doesn’t specify that He did so in six 24-hour days, but that he created the world, with intention, that it was good, and that humans were very good.  That’s all I really know.

There are a few other things that come up in the CBC article that I have thoughts on: Where is the line of human free will and an all-powerful creator of the world?  Or is it even a black and white line?  How does God work in this world?  Hmm… maybe I’ll open those up in some later posts…

I’ll refer you to another great place that I wrote about quite a while ago.  Rob Bell is pretty cool, and he has an awesome lecture called Everything is Spiritual.  It puts a good spin on some of these things.

I don’t think I want to open up too many huge cans of worms, but I guess what I’m trying to say is that I believe that God created the world and that’s all that matters to me!

And my major reason for posting today is to say that I hope you and I don’t claim to know things we don’t, that we don’t claim to experts on topics that we’re not, that we don’t give people reputations that they don’t deserve and didn’t create.  But I also hope that we can openly talk about things… that’s the only way we can all really grow.

::SAdamson

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Taking the time…

Published on February 16, 2009 in Life. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

Yup, liking the “pro life” here in Victoria this week.  Good times!

That means taking the time to catch up on reading, racing, technology, people, etc.  Still waiting to start catching up on my homework.  Riding makes me kinda tired…

I did make it to some coffee shops to enjoy much deliciousness!  I also delivered some Transcend espresso–very much appreciated!  Thanks for the coffee 2% Jazz!

Also working on my cyclocross sponsorship package.  Know anybody who wants to help me out?

I also have to say I have something else in the works… I started it a while ago and never took the time or energy to get it really going… keep your eyes open!

::SAdamson

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Good interview

Published on February 16, 2009 in Biking and Life. 0 Comments

Not a ton to write about, but I’m here in Victoria.  It’s been a great two days of training!  The weather is gorgeous!  Sunny, dry, oh man!  Gorgeous!  I also just love catching up with people that I haven’t seen in forever and seeing what they’ve been up to and what their plans are!  Sounds like 2009 will be great!

I also wanted to point out a great interview that I read with Jeremy Powers over at Embrocation!  I gotta say I love that guy!  He said some great things just in what cyclocross is all about and expanding the whole sport.  I would agree with the thoughts he expresses in that North America is stepping it up in terms of cyclocross, but that it’s different than Europe.  So yeah, check out his interview!

Maybe I’ll start doing interviews on here…

Have a great Family Day!

::SAdamson

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Really?

Published on February 12, 2009 in Thoughts. 4 Comments

So I can thank Kipp and the trip down to Calgary for the racing committee planning meeting for getting me hooked on Friday Night Lights, the tv show.  We watched a whole bunch of episodes from season 2.  So of course, I had to watch the rest of the series…

But I was working through season 1, where Matt Saracen gets thrown into the position of QB1.  He isn’t quite ready to handle it and really wasn’t expecting it.  But coach Taylor seems to think he can’t focus because his thoughts are preoccupied with a girl.

So coach tells him to take her out, take her in the backseat of the car, “do whatever you gotta do.”

But when coach realizes that the girl Matt likes is his own daughter, he starts freaking out that he just told this guy to take his daughter into the backseat of the car!!!

Ok, yeah, makes sense right?  But if he doesn’t want this guy to take his own daughter in the back of the car, why anybody else’s daughter?  Why somebody else’s sister?  Why somebody’s future wife?  If he doesn’t want his daughter in the backseat, he shouldn’t want any girl in the backseat!

This brings me to today.  I was getting my stuff out of my locker in the changeroom and there must be some wrestling thing this weekend, because when I was in there before there were these guys talking about weighing in, cutting weight, looking like garbage, and wiping the sweat off their bodies with cards.  Whole other story there.

Actually interesting because that topic sort of came up when I was talking to Claire yesterday and I told Usain Bolt is a doper!  Again whole other story…

But when I was in the locker room the second time, there was another guy talking there, maybe from or having visited a school in the states.  They were talking about paper-thin walls in res.  They were talking about how boring this school in the states was, nothing to do but have sex.  What?!?!?!  Did you just say that???  The guy talking was telling the other guys about this “ugly-ass” O-line football player who “f***ed 18 girls in his first year!”  Wow!  Did you really just say that too?!?!?  Is that something to be proud of?!?!?  That was only one of the things I heard in the span of 5 minutes at the most!  Really?!?!?  These are the accomplishments that are bragged about in the locker room?!?!?

This guy “f***ed” 18 other guys’ future wives!!!  And for what?  18 daughters! 18 sisters!  18 beautiful women!  How does that make you feel???  I almost started crying in there!!!

I think sex is a topic that has come up fairly often on this blog.  I think that has to be because it’s so pervasive among my generation.  And not for good!

I’ll let you infer the rest of what I’m thinking because I don’t want to judge anybody.  I know that I am very very far from perfect!  I know that I strive for perfection.  But I also know that I fall short of that every minute of every day.  All I ask is that you think about what you’re doing, think about why you’re doing it, and think about what you should be doing.  At the very least, have a good reason for the things you do each day.

::SAdamson, falling short of perfection every day!

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Lots going on.

Published on February 9, 2009 in Thoughts. 0 Comments

I’ve been keeping busy with school and learning and coaching and thinking and talking to people.  It’s great!

I had an awesome weekend!  Started with a good conversation with my mom.  A great ride out on the roads.  An amazing church service with an unbelievably thought-provoking sermon from Don.  Another great ride.

I just have to say that I love my family.  I’m unbelievably lucky and incredibly greatful; even though I might not show it all the time!  So thanks!

I have to say sorry to everyone I love.  I know I neglect a lot of you a lot of the time, but I really do love you and don’t know where I would be without you!  Thanks!

But I am doing well.  Training is good.  School is good.  I’m happy.  Life is just great!

I love twitter.  I can keep up with people and news and events.  I love BBC and CBC, keeping up with current events and what’s going on in the world.  I just like actually being a citizen and knowing what’s going on around me.

I came across a great video on Carson Bannon’s blog…

I also read a great article about Svein Tuft in the NYTimes.

And then I read a great blog post by Joe Walker.

So much stuff to think about!

All good things though!

Hopefully I can post some more of my own thoughts as time goes on.

::SAdamson

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Hmm… maybe one day!

Published on February 4, 2009 in Thoughts. 3 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Here is a story that I read about Obama wanting to implement salary caps for executives of companies getting bailed out by the government.

But it still seems absolutely ridiculous!  A cap of $500,000!  Really???  Who needs that much money anyway???  And that’s the taxpayers essentially paying those salaries now with the bailout!!!  What the heck?!?!?

Now I don’t claim to know a lot.  I like my naive little bubble and I’ll probably stay that way for a long time to come.  But I like my ideals, even if they’re somewhat unreasonable.

So ok, these guys work hard.  Waaaayyyy harder than me.  No questions asked.  But do they need that much money?  I know I don’t want that much money.

But how much time are these people spending with their families?  Do they even have time for families?  Are their kids the ones who don’t feel the love and look for it in the wrong places and end up in drug rehab (huge generalization, I know, sorry)?

Point is, let’s make a salary cap.  Make it $500,000, make it $100,000, make it $2,000,000, I don’t know.  But make it reasonable, pay people what the deserve.  But more importantly, let’s make a work cap.  You can’t work more than… say 60 hours/week.  When I’m training 30 hours/week seems crazy!  So 60, sure, let’s do that.  Then hopefully these people will be happy because they have great and meaningful relationships, not because they make more than $500,000.

Or maybe I’m just dreaming…

::SAdamson

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