Three Day Ambition

I enjoy writing.  Since moving to Hawaii, my schedule has been different, allowing more time for family and other stuff.  I felt early on this would be a great opportunity to write more and blogging seems a natural venue.  Being able to blurb whimsically about whatever seems a natural fit to the way my mind works. Sometimes my musing rumination is deserving of an outlet.

As I mentioned before (when debating the virtues of asterisks), I write for myself.  However, that is not to say others may not be intrigued by my musing or find insight in my rumination.  That begs the question, though, "How often should I blog?"

When I finally determined to write regularly (starting with this post (not this post)), I committed to myself to write every three days.  Ambitious you say?  I agree.  And even my wife (who has her own blog) gasped as I told her my intentions.  You may have noticed that I have reliably stuck to my plan for 30 days (that's 10 posts (including this post).  But is it too much?

I ask you, the reader, for feedback.  I know many of us have many blogs we try to follow and keep up with.  It occurred to me, that every three days is a lot.  If you happen to check in to a blog once in a while, or when you remember, that could be a lot to read and catchup on.  Or if you happen to follow or subscribe to a blog or receive RSS updates, that could be more often than you would care for.

So, if it is not too much to ask, how often is too much to post?

Sons of Halver

I am a Halverson.  In our culture, our family name is patronymic; it conveys the lineage from the fathers side of an even earlier male ancestor.  We are the sons of Halver.

Not this Triple H

I am exceedingly proud of my heritage.  Being the only son of my father, I am solely responsible for carrying on our family name.  That can sometimes be a bit of a burden to bear considering the triple-H implications.  What is our history?  What is our heritage?  And possibly most importantly, who was Halver? 

I find that I sometimes struggle with my expectations of being Halver's son.  Am I worthy to bear this name?  Will my sons be as proud of their name as I am?

My immediate experience with our history comes from my grandfather and my father. These are great men and surely worthy to be called Sons of Halver.

Grandpa:  Hard-working

Dad:  Self-sacrificing and Loyal

Me:  Will Halver be proud?

When I think of these men, it is hard to not be in awe and wonder if my own sons and grandsons will reflect on me with similar inspiration. 

As to other Halverson's of historical note, I have no idea.  Apparently we are a prolific lot (73,515 from the 1920 census)and you can find us mostly in Minnesota and Wisconsin (and bordering states*) as well as Washington state.

There are 14 Paul Halverson's on Facebook.  Richard Halverson was a chaplain to the U.S. Senate from 1981 to 1994 and Courtney Halverson is a "famous" actress.

Our heritage is Scandinavian (Norwegian, Swedish and Danish), with alternate known spellings of Halverson being Halvorson, Halvorsen and Halversen.  (Any Alverston, Alterson, and Averton are posers and only wish they could be considered Sons of Halver)**.   We are Vikings.  Víking refers to an overseas expedition (Old Norse fara í víking "to go on an expedition"), and víkingr, to a seaman or warrior taking part in such an expedition.

Vikings, in our modern era, have a poor reputation as savages and pagans mostly due to Adam of Bremen.  Mr. of Bremen chronicled Scandinavian history in his 4th book which was likely written to inspire future missionaries to the desperate need of the Vikings.

Eirik: "That's it, I'm going to kill Adam of Bremen!"
Jorgan: "Don't you think that's just proving he's right?"
Eirik: "But he is misrepresenting us!"
Jorgan: "Only history will tell how we are remembered.  Just be yourself."

However, Vikings were great explorers and warriors.  They had a code of honor among their culture that was misunderstood by those they encountered.  They were likely the cleanest people of their time and knew that first impressions would last.  But as with any people group exploring beyond their territory, one's ethos can come in conflict with another's, resulting in war and, er, conflict.  Vikings were quick to take advantage of their environment and adapted to be shrewd businessmen and are remembered as barbarians.

Bjorn: "Hey look!  Those people seem nice!"

You may ask yourself, where does Halver fit into this quagmire of reputation?  In the Scandinavian culture Halver wasn't originally a name, so much as it was an occupation^{[citation needed]}.  As was the case with many cultures before surnames were used, families might have been known by what they did.  The Smith's worked metal,  the Wagner's made or drove wagons, and the Tyler's created tile.  These are just a few examples (see here for more).  And as time passed and families expanded they were ever tied to their family history, though they may no longer be in the same line of work.  They became the sons of.

So what is it that a Halver did?  The name Halver is a variant of Halvard from the Old Norse Hallvarðr, composed of the elements hallr ‘rock’ + varðr ‘guardian’, ‘defender’.  The original Halvers were responsible for guarding the business acquisitions of an expedition ^{[citation needed]}, and ultimately responsible for dividing the proceeds to all who were involved.  A Halver was an important role on any outing and only those with honor and integrity were considered for the task.

As I reflect upon what it means to be a Halverson, I find that only time will tell if I have lived up to our name.  My grandfather and father have set an example to strive for with their history.  I am a part of a gregarious people with Viking heritage.  And though I may not be a halver, I still am to be a rock and guardian for my family.  I cannot control my history or heritage, but I can shape my future and what becomes the legacy of my sons, the sons of Halver, for our name will live on.

Son One

Son Two

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*bordering states of Minnesota and Wisconsin are North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois

**it's true.  Saxon's have been trying for years to claim Scandinavian lineage because Vikings kick Saxon butt.  Over half the battles fought between 836 and 1016 were won in Saxon territory which the chronicler failed to mention.  Besides look at their crest and pretend battle.

meh.

Saxon's pretending to be Vikings. (pink painted shield = exhibit A)

If you are looking for a good novels about the wars between the Danes (vikings) and Saxons, these are a great read:  The Saxon Tales, by Bernard Cornwell.



Or even better on Audio CD, performed by Jamie Glover.

What's Cool on the Internet?

Every once in awhile I find something cool on the internet.  As I have been pondering why I blog, I thought to my self, "Self, you should share some of those cool things."  At the very least it would give me something to write about and share, and at the most enlighten you on things you may or may not have found on your own.

So I am introducing, what will become a regular feature on my blog:

(::disclaimer:: Obviously, this feature is subjective)

So what, you may ask, is worthy enough to be featured in my new feature?

Legomatrix.com

This site is dedicated to two individuals creating a lego stop motion film of the rooftop scene from Matrix where Neo dodges bullets for the first time and Trinity says, "Dodge this."  They entitled it "Trinity! Help!"  (The clip below is the original footage (with user added music) to help your memory and the iconic "Dodge This" photo.)

Trevor Boyd and Steve Ilett spent over 440 hours creating a 1 minute and 24 second video of this scene in time for the 10th anniversary of the Matrix.  They recreated a frame for frame replication of the rooftop scene and included on their site a side by side comparison of the two clips (original footage and their re-creation).  They also take the time to break down all 21 scenes they shot and share their techniques and challenges of how each picture was taken.  They created their own OCR to capture the bullet time footage and include a FAQ addressing the curiosity of the masses.

Overall, this site is cool.  Which, ultimately is why I featured it in "What's Cool on the Internet?"

Below is the result of their labor.  But make sure you take the time to check out their website too.  Legomatrix.com ... it's what's cool on the internet.

Did you think that was cool?  Let me know in the comments.

Back in the Day (I'm Not a Kid Anymore)

I like music.  I like any kind of music.  And then the music lyrics embed themselves into the recesses of my mind and lie in wait.  It is not unusual for me to quote a song lyric or break into song when someone says something that triggers it in conversation.  They come unbidden and sometimes out of nowhere.

Sometimes they are common or known songs.  Like someone might say to me, "I hope you have a good night."  And I would reply in song, "I gotta feeling ... that tonight's gonna be a good night."

Or, if one of my kids are playing with their food and say, "I don't want to eat it."  I might sing to them, "Just eat it! Eat it! Eat it!" 

But sometimes, the lyrics that come out of my mouth are obscure ... like someone might say to me, "Hey Paul, who was that guy?"  And I most likely as not will start singing, "Who's that guy? Where did he come from?"  There are very few people that acknowledge I'm singing a known song.  (Or even acknowledge I'm singing.)

But then there is this one song I quote.  I usually remember the lyrics when someone is talking about their past or when they were a kid, and I'll say, "I remember when I was young, I'm not a kid anymore, but sometimes I wish I was a kid again.*"  Until recently, I didn't know what song that was.  I thought it was something by the Digable Planets, but I could never find it when I searched for their songs on Google.  However, this last time that song came to mind, it stuck in my head.  I remember liking that song and I wanted to hear it again (not just my recollection of that particular lyric).  So this time I just googled the lyrics as I remembered them.  The lyrics I remembered weren't exact, but they were close enough to find the song.  "Back in the Day" by Ahmad. 

Who?  Apparently Ahmad was a West Coast rapper and "Back in the Day" was his first (and only) release from his solo debut album.  He was a one hit wonder and I remember lyrics from his one hit (made it up to #26 on the Bill Board Top 100 in 1994).  Crazy.  Apparently I only remembered the chorus, I don't specifically remember the rest of the song.  But I still like it.

And I found the music video on YouTube ... Ain't the internet grand?

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*Sorry about that.  I didn't link this lyric (because of the video included), but since all the other song lyrics were blue for sake of consistancy I changed the font color.

Also ... music featured in this article ... if you are interested.

Next Blog. It's OK, You Can Click It.

I don't mind.  You can click it.  Google created a really fun experience with the "Next Blog" option.  And it is different everytime.  I don't know how Google determines it, but it seems content related ... kind of.

I, personally, like to make a game out of the "Next Blog" button.

Game #1)  Next Blog Click.  Obviously, I like to start from my own blog, but you can start from any blogspot blog of your choosing.  Simply goto your starting point and click "Next Blog". When you are finished checking out your find, click the back button, refresh button and then "Next Blog" again and see what different blog comes up.  You may even find a new blog to follow.

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  Example when I clicked just now (well technically it was in the past for you, but present for me.  (Time Travelled)):  "More Adventerous", last updated 2/18/10 and 29 followers.
• 
  
  Another example:  "Mustard Seeds", last updated 3/28/10 from Australia.

Game #2) Next Blog x3.  From a blogspot blog of your choosing, click "Next Blog" three times.  You shouldn't even have to move your mouse cursor.  Just click away (but not too fast, you have to wait for the blog to load).  Now in this game, don't get distracted by blog 1 or blog 2, your goal is blog 3.  Blog 1 and Blog 2 don't count, and if you are being honest with yourself, you should be penalized if you succumb to a prolonged pause.

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  Example:  "Liberal Catholic Sports Music", last updated 3/15/10 and currently in a feud with another blog, "Of Course, I Could be Wrong ... " (aka the Mad Priest).
• 
  
  Another example:  "Unknown" because I am not invited to read it.  But that is just part of the game ... mark one in the loss column.
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  Do over:  "Scarface Periodical", last updated 2/10/10 and follows 21 other blogs (I wonder how he found them?)

Game #3) Next Blog 3XTR3M3.  ::WARNING:: This game is not for the faint hearted.  If you enjoy the "Next Blog" button, or have been intrigued by these "Next Blog" games, you could find this challenge enjoyable.  However, if you lack in observation and perseverence skills you may want to stick with the simpler games noted above.  The rules are simple, the task is not.  Using only the "Next Blog", Back and Refresh buttons ... find how many "Next Blog" clicks it takes to find any blog a second time*.

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  My example: "Sassy Granny", 27 "Next Blog" clicks to see "Sassy Granny" a second time.  The first time was on click 20 or so.

When you have time, explore the blogspot world of blogs by clicking the "Next Blog" button.  You can just check them out, or make a game out of it.  Try one of my game suggestions, but perhaps you would like to make up your own.

Tell me in the comments, if you find an interesting blog.  Or, if you make up your own "Next Blog" game, let me know how to play.

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*Though you can use the Back and Refresh buttons, they are null clicks and don't apply towards the overall click count.  Only "Next Blog" clicks should be counted.