Thoughts and ponderings from America's 33rd president. But only in spirit. I'm not actually Harry Truman....
Online discussion, "discourse" if you will, is a bit like caffeine. In the right amounts, it is energizing. It ignites motivation and serves as a catalyst to productive action. But like having too much caffeine, discourse can be anxiety inducing and paralyzing. This has been true since humanity developed language. In keeping with the caffeine analogy, I suspect that living in the modern algorithm…
What is on my mind today? Truthfully, I cannot say. I don't feel strongly any way. An accurate descriptor would be malaise. How best to occupy my time? Apart from dainty little rhymes. No lightbulb flash,no bell to chime. As I decay upon the vine. I suppose I'll drive to a public place. And as I walk with a sullen face, Feeling that my life's a waste, I pray a stranger will invade my space. For…
Glorious. A nation of stars. Not just actors, athletes, or famous singers with guitars. But 50 groups of Americans diffused from those initial 13 bars. Many greats have led for us, party notwithstanding. John, James, Abe, Harry, others. From Pennsylvania Avenue commanding. But Greatest are those who bled for us, defending Liberty on domestic and foreign shore. Today we celebrate 250 years of…
I'm a Florida suburbanite, always have been. I'm proud of that, I love my home. I'm also proud to be an American, I love my nation. I love our history, the array of accents and cultures. What I do not love is traveling, or at least the process of it. Even still, traveling is an important part of American citizenship. George Washington believed the only way to truly understand this nation is by…
If you haven't heard of James Wilson, I don't blame you. Many Americans haven't, or at least don't know much about the man. He was a man who believed in justice and liberty, not only when it suited him, but universally. Similar to how fellow founding father John Adams was the defendant for the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre, James Wilson regularly defended British Loyalists in…
As we approach America's semiquincentennial, I find myself awestruck of the wisdom of the founding fathers. The virtues they aspired to (but not always achieved), are fitting for an honorable life 250 years later. Of those virtues, I believe frugality stands out. Today, frugality refers to fiscal responsibility. To the founders, it meant moral discipline and balanced restraint. Many of the…
Societal attitudes toward digital media have changed significantly over the last decade. I distinctly remember thinking to myself in the 2010s: "Who would PAY for magazines these days?" And yet, here I am in 2026, having just bought a year's subscription to Game Informer, eagerly anticipating my first issue. More and more, people are tired of being perpetually connected. Many are starting to feel…
Recently, I came across a selection of D.K. Eyewitness Books on a communal book sharing table. Suddenly overwhelmed by a wave of pleasant memories from weekends spent with my mother in the local library, I sorted through the selections and took "The American Revolution" and "Ancient Greece" for my classroom. They're certainly a relic of their time (Just look at that included ClipArt CD, what a…
I tried. I REALLY tried to make the title clever, but I'm afraid that's the best I could come up with (which isn't clever at all). This is a blog about managing our engagements with consumption culture, and Tales Of Berseria, a 2016 JRPG that got a remaster in February of 2026. I've noticed some movements floating around YouTube with very similar themes: Rejection of convenience culture and the…
The title of this post is also the name of the book I'm currently reading. (By David Freeman Hawke, highly recommended). Colonial America is my favorite era of history, but my education has been focused on the "macro level" history: Political and cultural shifts over time, crucial events, cause and effect relationships, etc. Lifestyles of the 17th and 18th century "everyman" are a bit of a…