Nels Lindahl — Functional Journal

A weblog created by Dr. Nels Lindahl featuring writings and thoughts…

Month: August 2017

  • Just a couple days of reading books

    Over the last three days, I have been reading a paperback copy of The Dark Fields (Limitless) by Alan Glynn (2001). It was something that I picked up on eBay. It appears that somebody sold me a book they got from the clearance bin at Half Priced Books. Overall the book was in fantastic condition. Only one dogged eared page separated it from basically being brand new. For some oddly peculiar reason, I had wanted to read the book in paperback version. That had been important to me at the time of the purchase. Alan Glynn had a great story idea. It translated to a pretty entertaining movie (Limitless) featuring Bradley Cooper (2011). The book did not really hold my attention very well, but some parts of it were engaging enough to keep me going.

    During the course of reading the book I was listening a recently released Dream Theater album called New Millennium (Live) which was released in 2017. It may very well be my favorite Dream Theater recording. I’m not sure why exactly, but over the last month or so I have been listening to a lot of Dream Theater. Listening to albums and reading books is pretty much the way things are going these days. It has been awhile since writing with a single minded purpose drove me forward. Maybe something will spark that single minded purpose and help me drive into the deep end of writing. My writing habits tend to be highly extreme. I either produce a ton of prose or no prose at all.



    My nightstand holds a stack of books that will be read at some point before coming to rest on a shelf in my office. We have a library in our house. It resides in my office. Some of the classic are collecting dust and other books that I have come across are simply resting on a shelf. Having a home library of books is probably an inherently good thing. Reading, learning, exploring, and enhancing understanding help you to strive forward.

    This post has not yet reached the minimum cutoff of 500 words. That should be easy to fix assuming the right amount of effort and time get mixed together.

    Spending time engaging in the act of writing generally begets more writing. Rain is rarely if ever described or categorized as a single drop that fell and was gone. Writers tend to write like rain. It would be strange to read prose like the following…

    Clouds pulled across the sky throughout the afternoon. A certain amount of darkness had come before nightfall. Gloomy and frightful weather influenced everything anyway had planned. Overcast and threatening the clouds reminded everyone of what was coming. A small amount of thunder even rolled along to ensure anyone who had not looked up was aware of the impending storm. All of the wind and lack of sun and forced a dramatic drop in the temperature. It was a lot of backdrop for the one drop of rain that fell harmlessly in a open field. Nobody was around to even take note that it had happened. That was the only precipitation that occurred.

  • A simple trip to the Denver Botanical Garden

    Utterances have grown exponentially. So much remains unsaid. Shouting into the digital commons has become easier, but engaging in meaningful conversation feels harder. Social media allows for engagement without any meaningful effort toward interpersonal interactions. My goal for the rest of the year returning to my original writing style. That style produces prose that resonates with me. That style remains less detached and more focused on moments and thoughts.

    We could rush through the moment.

    Remembering everything that happened changes things. It is the subtle details that really set the stage for memory. Walking into the botanical garden it was not the two sets of doors or the change in temperature between the inside and outside. It was looking at a poster on the wall about upcoming events and taking that first strong smell of the botanical garden that caught my attention.

    I could write about the moment in more detail.

    We had decided to go to the botanical garden. The weather seemed ok for the trip. It was the weekend. A trip of some type was about to happen. Today it was going to be a trip to a garden. A short 20 minute drive was easy enough. Parking in the underground structure always makes our botanical garden visits interesting. We generally arrive early enough to park in the first main area. That makes leaving very easy. The entrance and the exit are in the same place on the same floor of the garage.

    Getting to the botanical garden involves a simple elevator ride with a stoller or wagon up a level. Taking a wagon up the stairs never seems practical. It is a quick elevator and the door opens right up to facing the actual entrance of the garden. It involves a short walk and crossing the street. Traffic has to stop. The crosswalk is just in the middle of a busy street. The lights flash and traffic stops for about 30 seconds. You make your way across the street to the glass doors of the entrance.

    During the summer the temperature between the ticket office entrance and the garden is striking. You walk in and get tickets. Things seem colder and then you walk out through another set of glass doors to see the actual garden. After you open the door you still have to walk a few feet to see the actual garden, but the smells and sounds of the botanical garden catch your senses and remind you what nature smells like. Walking from a parking garage in the middle of a city to a botanical garden really does introduce you to very striking smells.

    Naturally, i could take that writing about the moment even deeper.

    During our weekends the kids need an outing. Staying around the house all day never turns out well. This weekend our adventure would be a trip to the botanical garden. It always involves a lot of walking and you have a lot to see and experience. The twenty minute drive is ok. Nobody really minds those short drives. It is the really long ones that cause cabin fever in a car. Shorter drives don’t even involve car snacks. Today was a red rider wagon day. The wagon has seen better days and one of the canopy poles needed a slight repair before we could begin our journey. Electrical tape and a long screw were enough to make the repair. It only took about 5 minutes and we were ready to go.

    Parking for the botanical garden is always on the left of the one way road. The garage is much large than it appears from the outside. It is a mountain of concrete. Early in the day parking is pretty easy. You do not really have to venture very far into the garage. The entrance and the exit are in the same spot. The first ring of parking is pretty easy to navigate it really only involves one loop. The stairs would be easy enough to take without the red rider wagon. An elevator ride up one floor takes a moment. On really crowded and busy days waiting for the elevator can be a difficult end to an adventure. Kids do not really handle waiting very well when they are tired.

    As the elevator door opens you can see the glass doors of the entrance to the botanical garden. It is a short walk to the crosswalk for the one way street. A simple button push starts the light cycle. Soon enough traffic on that busy one way street will stop long enough for people to cross. This the perfect example of where an architectural feature could have allowed people to go over or under without cross the street. That design was never put in place. After a quick wait the walk to the glass doors is pretty easy.

    Large glass doors open up to the ticket office and gift shop. All sorts of things are for sale to the left and the ticket folks are sitting on the right. At this point, it is a simple scan and go operation for members of the botanical garden. Every time walking through the entrance involves during the summer involves a sudden temperature change. It is striking enough to remember. Your sense of smell gets used to the the gift shop and the conditioned air just long enough for the surprise that is waiting on the other side ot the second set of doors.

    Nature jumps out at you and your senses pull in all sorts of memories related to plants, flowers, and the outdoors. Going from a parking garage to the botanical garden triggers a frenzy of memories for me and it revitalizes me for the day.

    The process of writing about the moment is influenced by both the passion you bring to the writing session and the time you have to write.