Properly using frustration
A friend of mine is doing her best to get back "into shape." She has expressed her difficulty in dealing with the frustrations she has on occasion as she does the work. I started to post a reply to her FB post on the subject right there, but what I want to say would have taken too much space.
I understand her frustrations all too well. I watched an episode of CHiPs yesterday where there was roller skating. I can't roller skate these days as I don't have the stamina. Was I frustrated watching this episode? Yes. There was a time when my part-time job was as a floor-guard in a roller rink. I spent hours on skates without even breathing hard. It was as easy to skate as it was to walk. I also get frustrated when I watch volleyball on television. I used to dive for balls, jump high enough to hit at the men's height net and play at a high level. So it is a bit frustrating.
I've learned to not let those frustrations bother me very much. If I was able to make a major reverse in my physical condition, I'd be trying to use my frustration in a positive way. To fuel my efforts. But frustration is fraught with danger. Channeled positively it can be a great impetus to move forward. Channeled negatively, it can be a major roadblock in making progress.
My friends are important to me. I hope this particular friend will use those occasional frustrations the right way. I want her to succeed.
* * *
There was no emotional reaction on the face of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev when his sentence of death on 6 of the 17 capital counts he was convicted on was read aloud in the courtroom. Now the speculation is about which federal prison he will be sent to, to await the numerous appeals that must take place before the death sentence is carried out.
How long will that take? The federal government has executed three people convicted of a crime under a federal death penalty statute since 1988 (that's when the federal death penalty was reinstated after a 16 year hiatus following a court decision).
Timothy McVeigh. He was convicted in 1997 of carrying out the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 and injuring hundreds. He was executed on June 11, 2001.
Juan Raul Garza. He was convicted in 1993 of three counts of murder and he was executed on June 19, 2001.
Louis Jones, Jr. The retired Army veteran was convicted in 1995 of the abduction, rape and murder of a 19 year old Army private, Tracie McBride. He was executed on March 18, 2003.
There are over 3,000 prisoners on death row in various states of the U. S. but only 61 prisoners currently on federal death row. 60 men and 1 woman. That woman, for those who are curious, is Lisa M. Montgomery who is awaiting execution following her conviction for murdering a pregnant woman and then cutting the baby out of the woman and kidnapping it.
Based on how long these three executions took to happen, and how long people have remained on the federal death row (some have been there since 1993), Tsarnaev will not be executed quickly. Whether they hold him in the super-max death row in Terre Haute, IN or the super-max facility for life offenders in Colorado, it is a bleak existence. He will spend 22.5 to 23 hours a day in a twelve foot by seven foot cell. He will have limited to no interaction with anyone.
Is this "cruel and unusual punishment?" You decide for yourself.
I have no objection to the death penalty, save the cost. There will be millions of dollars spent to pursue the required appeals for Tsarnaev and if he winds up prevailing on appeal, he'll go to one of those awful super-max cells for life anyway. So why waste the money?
Plus, had he been sentenced to life without parole, the matter would be over. No more media coverage. No more scramble for results of courtroom hearings.
* * *
Random Ponderings:
Regarding the death of B. B. King, President Obama nailed it when he said something about there being an awesome jazz session in heaven the night King passed. RIP, sir.
If the scandal involving New York State's Senate Leader and Assembly Speaker also ensnares Governor Andrew Cuomo, a rising political star may well bite the dust. Stay tuned.
All seven members of the 2016 MFA class at USC have dropped out. Wow. Wonder how that will impact their careers going forward. Wonder how this will damage the reputation of that particular grad school at USC.
In the last 16 months Bill and Hillary Clinton have earned more than $30 million. A long way from the "dead-broke" couple back in 2000, eh?
The cop who tracked down serial killer John Wayne Gacy has died, so naturally the name John Wayne is trending. With Memorial Day weekend coming, it's a sure bet "The Green Berets" will be airing. Whatever happened to the little boy who portrayed "Hamchunk?"
More proof of what a nitwit Piers Morgan is:
Freedom of religion includes the freedom to be free from religion.
Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez needs to learn that certain gestures are not just insulting, but are racist and ethnic slurs.
I understand her frustrations all too well. I watched an episode of CHiPs yesterday where there was roller skating. I can't roller skate these days as I don't have the stamina. Was I frustrated watching this episode? Yes. There was a time when my part-time job was as a floor-guard in a roller rink. I spent hours on skates without even breathing hard. It was as easy to skate as it was to walk. I also get frustrated when I watch volleyball on television. I used to dive for balls, jump high enough to hit at the men's height net and play at a high level. So it is a bit frustrating.
I've learned to not let those frustrations bother me very much. If I was able to make a major reverse in my physical condition, I'd be trying to use my frustration in a positive way. To fuel my efforts. But frustration is fraught with danger. Channeled positively it can be a great impetus to move forward. Channeled negatively, it can be a major roadblock in making progress.
My friends are important to me. I hope this particular friend will use those occasional frustrations the right way. I want her to succeed.
* * *
There was no emotional reaction on the face of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev when his sentence of death on 6 of the 17 capital counts he was convicted on was read aloud in the courtroom. Now the speculation is about which federal prison he will be sent to, to await the numerous appeals that must take place before the death sentence is carried out.
How long will that take? The federal government has executed three people convicted of a crime under a federal death penalty statute since 1988 (that's when the federal death penalty was reinstated after a 16 year hiatus following a court decision).
Timothy McVeigh. He was convicted in 1997 of carrying out the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 and injuring hundreds. He was executed on June 11, 2001.
Juan Raul Garza. He was convicted in 1993 of three counts of murder and he was executed on June 19, 2001.
Louis Jones, Jr. The retired Army veteran was convicted in 1995 of the abduction, rape and murder of a 19 year old Army private, Tracie McBride. He was executed on March 18, 2003.
There are over 3,000 prisoners on death row in various states of the U. S. but only 61 prisoners currently on federal death row. 60 men and 1 woman. That woman, for those who are curious, is Lisa M. Montgomery who is awaiting execution following her conviction for murdering a pregnant woman and then cutting the baby out of the woman and kidnapping it.
Based on how long these three executions took to happen, and how long people have remained on the federal death row (some have been there since 1993), Tsarnaev will not be executed quickly. Whether they hold him in the super-max death row in Terre Haute, IN or the super-max facility for life offenders in Colorado, it is a bleak existence. He will spend 22.5 to 23 hours a day in a twelve foot by seven foot cell. He will have limited to no interaction with anyone.
Is this "cruel and unusual punishment?" You decide for yourself.
I have no objection to the death penalty, save the cost. There will be millions of dollars spent to pursue the required appeals for Tsarnaev and if he winds up prevailing on appeal, he'll go to one of those awful super-max cells for life anyway. So why waste the money?
Plus, had he been sentenced to life without parole, the matter would be over. No more media coverage. No more scramble for results of courtroom hearings.
* * *
Random Ponderings:
Regarding the death of B. B. King, President Obama nailed it when he said something about there being an awesome jazz session in heaven the night King passed. RIP, sir.
If the scandal involving New York State's Senate Leader and Assembly Speaker also ensnares Governor Andrew Cuomo, a rising political star may well bite the dust. Stay tuned.
All seven members of the 2016 MFA class at USC have dropped out. Wow. Wonder how that will impact their careers going forward. Wonder how this will damage the reputation of that particular grad school at USC.
In the last 16 months Bill and Hillary Clinton have earned more than $30 million. A long way from the "dead-broke" couple back in 2000, eh?
The cop who tracked down serial killer John Wayne Gacy has died, so naturally the name John Wayne is trending. With Memorial Day weekend coming, it's a sure bet "The Green Berets" will be airing. Whatever happened to the little boy who portrayed "Hamchunk?"
More proof of what a nitwit Piers Morgan is:
Freedom of religion includes the freedom to be free from religion.
Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez needs to learn that certain gestures are not just insulting, but are racist and ethnic slurs.
posted by me at 11:06 AM
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