Heartbeat

The average human heart beats about 70 times per minute while at rest.  This miraculous muscle, over the course of an 80 year lifespan, puts out about 2.5 gigajoules, making it an easy forerunner for the muscle that performs the most physical work in the whole of the human body - thus, potentially one of our most valuable assets.

However, to put things in perspective, a barrel of oil holds six gigajoules of potential energy (once combusted).  One could certainly make an observation or two here about the worth of a human body versus the worth of a barrel of oil, at least in terms of energy.  Similarly, one may pause to consider whom else might have pondered that same comparison while making governing decisions that would effect the lives of many such low output human hearts.  However, that goes rather off on a different tangent.  The focus here, remains the heart.

To get down to the heart of it, if you'll excuse my overly blatant pun, we're all run by these little beating batteries; steady clocks, thudding away in our chests, keeping time with our lives.  What's curious though, is not the form or function of the heart, but the story its been woven into.  So inseparable is the heart now from the concept of love that its difficult to trace back to a time when the two were not joined - even ancient Greeks and Egyptians believed that the heart controlled our thoughts and feelings, not the mind.    Ironically enough, when it comes to the physical manifestation of the feeling of love, it is in fact the brain that plays a greater role.  The production of estrogen, testosterone, dopamine, and serotonin lead from infatuation to comfort, then in time, the brain ups its protein levels and begins to bridge between certain neurons, leaving the memory of what we call love in our very grey matter.

Yet, all science aside, it is the heart that aches when another heart is near. It is the chest that feels empty, when a heart pulls away.  And, it is the heart that fills with joy at the smile and touch of someone held dear.

Right now, my heart, is quite full. 

This has been a bit of a ramble, with little point, and even less of a conclusion.  My personal serotonin levels are pretty high currently, so I'm going to have to leave things in this half thought out state and sign off for sleep.  Enjoy this while I enjoy that.

A beautiful day...

Two of them, actually.

Today was bright and sunny and cheerful, and despite having to work, still very enjoyable. It also marked day one of year three for Tavi and I, which made my heart smile all over.

Yesterday, was also lovely, especially in the evening, on the way back from Tavi's graduation. Which, by the by, took forever. Forever being about four hours. :) I guess four isn't that long, but such a huge period was just a long list of names being called off! Thank god Columbia splits their graduation ceremonies into multiple days!

In any case, it was a pretty lovely event. Wonderful keynote/guest speakers, and a great presentation of video from Manifest and Industry night, both of which Tavi participated in. In fact, his group from the 12 hour game competition at Manifest won. It was a pretty goofy game...the guidelines were for each group to create a game that was their interpretation of transgendered capture the flag.

Transgendered capture the flag, you say? Yes...transgendered capture the flag. And let me tell you, Tavi's artwork was pretty classy. His was the only character design that directly touched on "transgendered" in a literal sense. He took the bull by the horns and put a pink skirt on it, so to speak. But in the end, their game stood strong, and despite lacking a win trigger (so the fun was endless!), theirs was the only game that played without crashing. So success! Yet another great even for the Tavmiester.

As for the graduation ceremony itself, he did have a bit of a time of it, as the woman announcing the students pronounced him as "Tahvis." But you can't win them all, I suppose. I guess that's just what his true official name must be.

I have been putting together plans for a 'frontage roof,' so to speak, for a display at the Spice House, as well as a mockup/prototype spice rack for jar sales. Both displays will be great woodworking projects, and a chance for me to do more wood etching/burning with my new tool (relatively new...a few months now). I'm pretty excited. I love the chance to do hands on projects like this. Making things from nothing is such a satisfying feeling, one that I'm so glad I get to experience a good amount of in this position. Paltronics was a lot of creation, but the problem with creating animations for the casino industry is that you have a very limited scope, creatively speaking, and in the end, you very rarely get the satisfaction of holding your work, tangible in your hands. I know that whatever it is that I do in the future, I need to be able to create things that I can hold and touch when the day is done. Whether that be paintings, or woodwork, or books.

Ah, the sleep of peace. Tavi has slipped into its comforting embrace and is knocked out cold (or quite warm, in all actuality) next to me. Bless his dear sweet heart...I love him so.


Oh, and, sidenote...we now have a Wii. Or I have a Wii, I suppose. My first real console! Woohoo! ;) Oh the games Wii will play! Hopefully Tav will make some Wii games.


That is all for now. Peace out, homies.