![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 19 of 19. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by jane d on November 10, 2010, at 22:46:22
I was curious reading some of the posts above suggesting that blocking was rampant since those claims didn't match my recollection. So I tried to calculate just how many blocks there really were over the last year. I came up with*
40 blocks total
20 separate posters blocked
5 posters currently blockedThis is a rough count but it sure doesn't look like an epidemic to me.
I also went back and read the original post on many of these and sometimes the entire thread. I didn't see much evidence for the claim that posters are tripped up by rules they don't understand or for innocent slips of the tongue.
jane
*These numbers came from searching for posts by Bob or a deputy with "block" in the subject line on all currently open boards and the associated archives going back one year.
Posted by Toph on November 11, 2010, at 9:48:48
In reply to Number of blocks, posted by jane d on November 10, 2010, at 22:46:22
> I was curious reading some of the posts above suggesting that blocking was rampant...
Which posts are those exactly?
Posted by sigismund on November 11, 2010, at 13:15:18
In reply to Number of blocks, posted by jane d on November 10, 2010, at 22:46:22
If there was to be an epidemic of blocks at the moment there'd be no one left.
IIRC, there were more blocks when there were more people and more vivid encounters, years ago now.
Posted by alexandra_k on November 12, 2010, at 20:02:43
In reply to Re: Number of blocks, posted by sigismund on November 11, 2010, at 13:15:18
> IIRC, there were more blocks when there were more people and more vivid encounters, years ago now.
That could well be the case. It could also be the case that Bob isn't as trigger happy with them as he used to be.
I found it too hard to keep up with the boards when I wasn't able to post. It was like on one of those films when someone is taken by a ghost to another time and / or place and you have to watch on powerless to do anything to try and help the (sometimes) tragedies unfolding before you. Eventually... You find other things to do with the time that was spent here.
I got into second life and world of warcraft for a while. Then got into the gym. Then found online communities associated with that. Now... I cancelled my world of warcraft account and I rarely have an urge to play that game (best computer game in the world, for what it is worth).
Now... My life is such that I would need to compromise on something else to spend considerable time here. I'd need to back off from the gym or from learning about that stuff. I think that it is better for me with where I'm at now to do the gym thing. It is a kind of centerpiece or cornerstone. It has ripple effects for me knowing I need to develop a more balanced lifestyle (sleep, nutrition, de-stress, quit smoking etc and actually take some of those positive steps towards things that I've known for years would be better for me (in terms of me developing into the person I want to be). Someone who I (and never mind anybody else) would want to be with (someone who is focused on living better rather than dying or minimizing time awake, someone with goals who takes steps towards them, someone who isn't trying to kill themself or self-harm with cigarettes or food that makes them feel sleepy and will likely kill them early etc etc etc).
I still do see my t. One or two times per week. We don't go into anything deep it is more of a 'ticking along' kind of a supportive thing. I... Am reluctant to get into anything deep now. I want to maintain my functioning and improve it. I don't want to spend a lot of time reading up on psychoanalytic theory or trying to understand why I'm f*ck*d up or trying to figure out what not being f*ck*d up is supposed to be and / or how to get there.
I don't feel pain / shame when I'm immersed in an activity. The endorphin rush (or whatever it is) makes me feel good. My brain doesn't ruminate like it used to. I fall asleep hard and fast because I'm physically exhausted. I'm... Happy. In a way. And training with the other people... Personal interactions with them... They are positive and I guess I'm just getting along with people a lot better now than I used to. Developing more self acceptance or something. Realizing that people who I used to be highly intimidated by (fit, athletic people who in some cases have a very high opinion of themselves) are... Well... Human, too. With their own insecurities and fears and such.
I can't really do anything half-hearted. I need to be all in or all out. Most of my time... Or not much of my time at all (no good at multi-tasking - it is something that I'm simply choosing to accept about myself). So it is best for me to move on from this place. It isn't worth it to me to dig around in the archives trying to figure out whether it would be safe for me to return or not. I know that some people here appreciate just how much time one puts into posting and reading here in order to post a lot of timely supportive posts to others (something I think I did do at my 'peak'). I'm sorry. Really, I am. But it is better for me to move on now. Best of luck, everyone. Take care.
Posted by Free on November 12, 2010, at 20:38:01
In reply to Re: Number of blocks, posted by alexandra_k on November 12, 2010, at 20:02:43
Well, darn, I thought you were back.
And I was going to post a no-cooking-needed Bean and Wild Rice Salad recipe on your Nutrition thread. Maybe I still will, just in case you decide to look later.
Yeah, I get what you're saying. Working towards your potential and developing a more balanced lifestyle and all...working out is great.
Best of luck to you, too, Alex. Take care.
Posted by alexandra_k on November 12, 2010, at 20:53:03
In reply to Re: Number of blocks » alexandra_k, posted by Free on November 12, 2010, at 20:38:01
Thanks Free. I guess... It isn't so much an 'all time' vs 'no time' so much as a 'most time' vs 'not much time' thing. I have been intermittently making an appearance in chat or posting... But not spending anywhere near the time that I used to. I expect I'll still make appearances from time to time... But... I really can't get 'sucked into' (sorry but thats how I see it) discussing admin policies or elders councils or small boards or group dynamics or (and this is something I lament - but for my own mental health, really) really following along reading a lot of posts/ responding to those posts on the boards.
I will check out that recipe, though. Thanks very much :-)
I'm sure people will see me from time to time...
Posted by Free on November 12, 2010, at 21:07:39
In reply to Re: Number of blocks, posted by alexandra_k on November 12, 2010, at 20:53:03
Ok, I'm glad it's not a all or nothing thing.
"Roger", "Copy", and "Ditto" to everything you said. I will leave the recipe for you this weekend. I think it'll fit in nicely with your balanced lifestyle...healthy and stress-free. You can make a batch of it and leave it in the fridge for the week.
See you when I see you then, Alex.
Posted by Dinah on November 13, 2010, at 14:46:07
In reply to Re: Number of blocks, posted by alexandra_k on November 12, 2010, at 20:53:03
I think you should post as much or as little as is helpful to you. I'm glad you've found a healthy interest. Just don't let it get in the way of your obligations in school. That's important too.
And of course, I'll be glad to see you in chat, and hear from you as well.
Posted by fayeroe on November 13, 2010, at 21:26:19
In reply to Re: Number of blocks, posted by alexandra_k on November 12, 2010, at 20:02:43
Posted by alexandra_k on November 14, 2010, at 1:44:49
In reply to Re: Number of blocks » alexandra_k, posted by Dinah on November 13, 2010, at 14:46:07
> ... Just don't let it get in the way of your obligations in school. That's important too.
But it is done now. The ill-formed question that was my passion for philosophy... It is resolved.
I have masses of stuff that needs to be operationalized properly and organized and edited... I'm too close to a finished product to not produce one now. But what drove me, why I wanted to do this... Is done. Once my thesis is submitted... It will be a closed chapter of my life.
My scholarship is up now. I didn't get into medical school. Realistically... I probably won't get funding to get into medical school to study here. Maybe it can work, but probably it can't.
I'm facing needing to get a job. I am really looking forward to having some money for the first time in my life. My wardrobe needs a total replacement. I would like to have an apartment to myself rather than living in student accommodation. I am scared about giving up my identity as a student. I am scared about what kind of work I can find and about finding something that hopefully has flexible hours and isn't too tedious / something that I don't hate. But I need to find something pronto... Figure I'll probably end up doing what the majority do here - do a graduate entry program and end up working in a government department. Pays well. Full of others who decided they didn't want to be academics / who didn't get an academic position.
Have leisure hours. Keep working in the gym. Keep learning about that stuff. I have an idea for modeling lever lengths and load for squatting (physics, who woulda thunk??) See what happens... I dunno...
Dan John has an online book... He needs an editor... But there is a chapter on 'success'. He writes how those who 'succeed' often lose their passion. Olympic athletes (athletes successful enough to go and even those successful enough to win) often can't bear to do their sport anymore after the event. He reccommends that people don't go to graduate school. He says he knows many creative writers who can't bear to write creatively after doing grad school in creative writing. I think there is something in this...
Sometimes the most passionate... The most inspired... Are those who don't reach what it is they aspire to. Sometimes reaching the goal... Well... There isn't anything left once it is obtained. It is empty. Sometimes... It is in the process.
I'll never be great at Olympic lifting. My levers are wrong. (But sometimes scientific models predict incorrectly because of oversimplifications that have been made). My technique can't be optimal because of joint immobility (but sometimes someone needs to do something different to result in progressive, better techniques). It is highly highly highly unlikely that I'll ever be good. And as such... I think I might just be passionate about it until the day I die.
But maybe not. Maybe other things will come along. Who cares. So long as passion for something remains life is worth living after all.
Posted by alexandra_k on November 14, 2010, at 1:51:24
In reply to Re: Number of blocks, posted by alexandra_k on November 14, 2010, at 1:44:49
I remember something (I think it was Linehan) said when I was an undergraduate. Something about how people with borderline personality disorder often had great potential but didn't live up to that because they flitted around not knowing what they wanted to do and so never realized any of that potential.
That used to upset me greatly. I thought she was saying that she didn't think that someone with borderline personality (aka me) could succeed because they wouldn't stick with the project.
So I clung...
And then I started to realize I was clinging...
And a huge part of it was that. That I didn't want her to be right. I wanted to prove her wrong 'for all the borderlines out there' or somesuch. But actually... I didn't want to do this anymore.
Grad school is too unstructured for me to be productive. I don't enjoy writing. I won't do it unless I have a deadline and then I grumble and groan and lie in bed for 2 days whining 'I really don't want to do this' to myself. And then I meet the deadline and (usually) people think I've done a wonderful job and then I feel good and happy and productive and proud. And then I do nothing until the next one... And really... Is that anyway to live???
So what if i'm 'mediocre'. I always thought I needed to succeed (to be seen as successful) in order to be happy.
But now I see... Being happy is about working productively towards a goal out of inspiration and desire. The work is a free expression of that. And who cares if you actually are any good at what you are doing or not??? I've realized... I actually don't, anymore. I actually... Don't.
Posted by alexandra_k on November 18, 2010, at 15:51:48
In reply to Re: Number of blocks, posted by alexandra_k on November 14, 2010, at 1:51:24
In lifting I feel merged with something far greater than myself. I'm engaging in an activity that many others have practiced, the significant majority being far, far, stronger than me. I suppose I used to get that with philosophy. Only with philosophy most of the papers are (IMHO) lackluster at best. The necessary products required for promotion and often reading them (IMHO) is a waste of time (including reading my own). So many people worrying about things that (I've realized) are misguided or based on false assumptions (so not really contributing towards progress) or simply things that I don't care about. I've lost my passion for argument (in the formal sense). And maybe even in the informal sense, too, I don't know. Argument feels empty. And I guess W. always said that it was. Logic (if valid) says no more than p=p. I used to find it beautiful. The additional complexities to make p=p seem (if not be) cognitively significant. Informative. Like a beautiful structure. Music or something. But not anymore. I realize it feeds my rumination. My depression, really.
Much has been written about 'runners high'. The feeling people report from endurance cardio. Kicks in at about the 20 minute mark. I get that, I do, but not to the extent of some people (the people really into cardio, I guess). I get something different (different for me) in lifting weights. Sometimes. Not all the time, but sometimes. Working close to my one rep max a significant high kicks in. The only other time I've experienced that feeling is when I've taken methamphetamine. Unmistakable best feeling in the world for about 20 seconds then it passes. But sometimes I get it for a series of about 10 lifts. Wonderful. And I find something aesthetic in lifting. 'Barbell training is the fundamental expression of human anatomy under a load' (Ripptoe - 'Starting Strength'). There are constraints on perfect form (such as maintaining your lumbar curve etc) but each individuals perfect form is different from each other individuals because our limb lengths (and other factors) are all unique. Watching someone lift with perfect form is... Beautiful. The fundamental expression of human anatomy.
I'm suspecting that emotional instability issues have a lot to do with the endocrine system. One of the things I'm becoming much more aware of (my age? the fact that I've been off the pill for a while now?) is how my mood fluctuates according to my cycle. Not just the 'PMS' thing. Not just the 'bad days'. But also the 'good days'. The days when I'm feeling (emotionally, socially, physically) on top of the world. Where I can rise to challenges. Heavy lifting (in compound / full body exercises) alters your hormonal profile. Increased growth stimulating hormone. Also increased testosterone. I think us women have been a bit short-changed when it comes to testosterone. Apparently the times when (I at least) feel good are the times when I'm most hormonally similar to men. No fair!!! Thats the way guys feel all the time!!! I guess we don't know a lot about hormones. I do have some things that indicate high testosterone (hair, acne) but my levels when tested were normal. They said my skin was 'extra sensitive' (there is some stuff on having more receptors that might be a mechanism to explain this) but maybe people can be 'extra sensitive' to normal levels of hormone production in other ways. Especially if the levels have been suppressed or elevated due to, I don't know, extreme repeated distress or some such.
There was this awful study that was done on squat depth a while ago now. Some doc poked peoples knees to see how unstable they were. He poked at the knees of people who squatted above parallel and those who squatted below. He found that those who squatted below had more unstable knees according to his poke test. Trouble was he asked them how they squatted before he poked and he only had his subjective finding of instability rather than an objective indicator. This study was cited by others when they stated that squatting below parallel was bad for your knees. Then those studies and the original were cited... And so on... So the 'common wisdom' was accepted even though the citations can be traced back to that one, dodgy study. A lot of people like to think that squatting below parallel hurts your knees because they lack the mobility to do the exercise. Or because they eliminate the hardest part of the exercise thus being able to move more weight by cutting the range of motion short (they also change it from a quad/glute/hamstring exercise to a quad exercise).
Dan John has something funny that he says when athletes claim that squatting below parallel hurts their knees. He asks them to squat and then (invariably) says 'son, squatting (below parallel assumed) doesn't hurt your knees. Whatever it is that you are doing is hurting your knees'. The point being that bad form can hurt your knees (bad form tends to hurt things which is why it is considered bad form). Olympic lifters invariably squat below parallel. They don't seem to have problems with their knees. Powerlifters invariably squat below parallel (though not as low as Olympic lifters). They don't seem to have problems with their knees. Common gym wisdom (for coaches like Dan John) is that the 'scientific orthodoxy' is wrong. Orthodoxy being: A) Squatting below parallel hurts your knees (many people are cited for evidence on this - the significant majoritiy tracing back to that one dubious study). B) Not quite sure where this one came from - your knees coming out in front of your toes is bad for your knees. Which is odd, really, because your knees come out in front of your toes for quite a lot of things. Jumping. Walking up stairs etc.
Gym wisdom is that what is important (for not hurting your knees) is keeping your knees in line with your toes. So now we have an additional factor - stance width, where your toes are pointing (e.g., forwards, pointing out slightly etc) and where your knees go when you squat. But maybe that is too hard to model. I was chatting to my theoretical physicist friend the other day (yeah, go figure) and said I'd like to build a model (ya know, to avoid all the math). Then he started to go on about what kind of material the bones would need to be made of and how you could use rubber bands for muscles (or the damn model couldn't stand up) etc (but now altering limb length and employing muscular tension is going to become hard)... Maybe a mathematical model would be better after all... And you can fix known parameters (e.g., degrees of rotations for joints, 'normal' limb length variations only etc) Odd... But I've kind of got it into my head to build something... Or to attach resistance bands to one of those plastic skeletons you find somethings.... Some really complicated puppet. I dunno...
Sprinters can run with prosthetic limbs (which is more than I can do with my feet). I wonder if they could do weightlifting? Hmm... Ankles are tricky joints. Blah. I need to go do grading. Can ya tell???
I do miss the writing board. INtermittently. Oh well.
P.S., I think I'm falling in love. Only the whole 'in love' thing is probably just me being too intense (I have a habit of being in case you didn't notice). My coach (one of the dudes at the gym who is helping me out with my lifting). He is really kind and emotionally sensitive and a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to form (aka a 'form Nazi'). All things I find quite sweet. And he lifts beautifully. And he is strong. And he is really smart, too. Not in the graduate student sense, but in the 'I actually care a lot about health and getting stronger / fitter' sense. Sexual tension is almost unbearable for me at times (of the month in particular lol). But there is definitely chemistry. And he is fun to flirt with and good to talk to (e.g., when I'm worrying about something new or whatever). I think... Over time... We are getting to know each other a bit more. What we want out of life. What gets us passionate. Etc. I... Am learning a lot about slowing the f*ck down rather than acting from impulse (and then wondering why things go horribly wrong). He is calming and solid. I think something might develop in time... But I'm also thinking that even if it doesn't, what we have now is nice. Good for my self confidence to think that someone like him (who I think is so amazing both mentally and physically) could be mentally and physically attracted to me (even if it is the sort of attraction you have with many people).
Sometimes I get scared that I feel too much and he is playing with me / leading me on / sort of laughing at me. I guess that is about trust. To feel something... In the face of just enjoying the moment and there being ambiguity about the future, ambiguity about whether it will ever happen again, ambiguity about what things 'really mean'. Just to be... To back off (in a sense). To open up (in a sense). To calm the f*ck down (in a sense). He'll either eventually decide that he wants to spend more time with me than the training time we have... Or not... I think I'm growing as a person either way. I want to be a better person. And... I worry I'll f*ck him up, yeah. Anyway... Back to grading...
I'm happy and sad at the same time.
Posted by Dr. Bob on November 28, 2010, at 14:24:24
In reply to Re: Number of blocks, posted by alexandra_k on November 18, 2010, at 15:51:48
> I was curious reading some of the posts above suggesting that blocking was rampant since those claims didn't match my recollection. So I tried to calculate just how many blocks there really were over the last year. I came up with
>
> 40 blocks total
> 20 separate posters blocked
> 5 posters currently blocked
>
> jane dThanks for looking for and sharing that data. See also:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20100321/msgs/947061.html
That's one of the advantages of having archives.
--
> I found it too hard to keep up with the boards when I wasn't able to post. It was like on one of those films when someone is taken by a ghost to another time and / or place and you have to watch on powerless to do anything to try and help the (sometimes) tragedies unfolding before you. Eventually... You find other things to do with the time that was spent here.
>
> I still do see my t. ... We don't go into anything deep it is more of a 'ticking along' kind of a supportive thing.
>
> it is best for me to move on from this place. It isn't worth it to me to dig around in the archives trying to figure out whether it would be safe for me to return or not.> I have been intermittently making an appearance in chat or posting... But not spending anywhere near the time that I used to.
>
> I'm sure people will see me from time to time...Maybe being powerless for a long time then helped you move on. And maybe now it's safe for you to return in a ticking along supportive way.
> Common gym wisdom (for coaches like Dan John) is that the 'scientific orthodoxy' is wrong.
Babbler wisdom can be like that, too.
> P.S., I think I'm falling in love. Only the whole 'in love' thing is probably just me being too intense (I have a habit of being in case you didn't notice). My coach (one of the dudes at the gym who is helping me out with my lifting). He is really kind and emotionally sensitive and a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to form (aka a 'form Nazi'). All things I find quite sweet. ... Am learning a lot about slowing the f*ck down rather than acting from impulse (and then wondering why things go horribly wrong). He is calming and solid. I think something might develop in time... But I'm also thinking that even if it doesn't, what we have now is nice. Good for my self confidence to think that someone like him (who I think is so amazing both mentally and physically) could be mentally and physically attracted to me (even if it is the sort of attraction you have with many people).
>
> Sometimes I get scared that I feel too much and he is playing with me / leading me on / sort of laughing at me. I guess that is about trust. ... I think I'm growing as a person either way. I want to be a better person.
>
> alexandra_kThat's quite a PS. Hmm, I've also been seen as a form Nazi (and a regular Nazi). I'm glad you're slowing the f*ck down, feeling confident, trusting, and growing. :-)
Bob
Posted by alexandra_k on November 29, 2010, at 2:50:09
In reply to Re: Number of blocks, posted by Dr. Bob on November 28, 2010, at 14:24:24
> Maybe being powerless for a long time then helped you move on. And maybe now it's safe for you to return in a ticking along supportive way.
Maybe it is. But maybe it isn't. I'm not prepared to take that risk.
> > Common gym wisdom (for coaches like Dan John) is that the 'scientific orthodoxy' is wrong.
> Babbler wisdom can be like that, too.Yes. That was one of the wonderful things about being here.
> That's quite a PS. Hmm, I've also been seen as a form Nazi (and a regular Nazi). I'm glad you're slowing the f*ck down, feeling confident, trusting, and growing. :-)
Yes. The difference is that the constraint is bio-mechanics. Anatomical safety and movement efficiency. If I don't believe his assessment (if I think a different thing would be more efficient) he gives me the space / freedom to try it out and see what is right for me (for my particular levers).
Your constraint is... civility* and incivility*... And I don't think that you do give people enough freedom to develop or credit for their own appreciation of appropriate standards governing their conduct.
Yeah, I'm getting there. Thanks.
Posted by muffled on November 29, 2010, at 9:08:24
In reply to Re: Number of blocks, posted by alexandra_k on November 29, 2010, at 2:50:09
"Your constraint is... civility* and incivility*... And I don't think that you do give people enough freedom to develop or credit for their own appreciation of appropriate standards governing their conduct."
WELL said Alex
Posted by Dr. Bob on December 1, 2010, at 3:44:05
In reply to Re: Number of blocks, posted by muffled on November 29, 2010, at 9:08:24
> > I don't think that you do give people enough freedom to develop or credit for their own appreciation of appropriate standards governing their conduct.
>
> WELL said AlexAn opportunity to be more free:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20101014/msgs/971688.html
Bob
Posted by alexandra_k on December 1, 2010, at 5:56:23
In reply to Re: freedom, posted by Dr. Bob on December 1, 2010, at 3:44:05
>There's a minimum period during which blocks can't be lifted.
Explain.
Posted by muffled on December 1, 2010, at 16:27:00
In reply to Re: freedom, posted by alexandra_k on December 1, 2010, at 5:56:23
> >There's a minimum period during which blocks can't be lifted.
>
> Explain.LOO, alex, its the C-word!!!
Ha ha CONTROL!!!
ROFL!!!!
Posted by muffled on December 1, 2010, at 16:31:47
In reply to Re: freedom, posted by Dr. Bob on December 1, 2010, at 3:44:05
> > > I don't think that you do give people enough freedom to develop or credit for their own appreciation of appropriate standards governing their conduct.
> >
> > WELL said Alex
>
> An opportunity to be more free:
>
> http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20101014/msgs/971688.html
>
> BobAll right, need to update an read this, thx for the link bobbo, makes it easay fer sure!
Just kinda I getting lost at the freakin COMPLEXITY!!! oh crap, I mean like can't it be EASIER for fr*gs sake?
Oh man, my BRAIN hurts.
I tell ya, it HURTS.
Bop on Bobbo!!!
This is the end of the thread.
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