Clean Air and Water A couple of weeks ago, there was a terrible accident in a pulp and paper mill in Longview, Washington where 11 people lost their lives and 7 others were injured. It is known as a "Kraft process" mill (there are various processes for making pulp) and opened up in 1953. It activated personal memories of working in a different Kraft mill also opened in 1953 by the same company. I…
10 Essentials Every few months I'll look at YouTube and watch a couple of videos done by GQ magazine with celebrities showing and talking about their "10 Essentials". These are possessions or products that they use regularly and don't want to be without. I've made similar lists of my own just to help me think about what I use, enjoy, value and want to make sure to use to make my life feel like…
Credo I first wrote a credo in the late 1990s, and last revised it in 2011. The model I used was based on a series of belief statements, designed to separate myself from the religion of my childhood. I have now revised it further to remove the concept of "belief" and aim for brevity. This is how I think things actually are in reality - based upon science, principles and the history of humanity.…
Limitarianism Political philosopher Ingrid Robeyns believes that there should be a maximum amount of money and resources that one person can have. I heard her interviewed by Sean Illing on The Gray Area podcast. The concept of limitarianism proposes that maybe $ 10 million is the most anyone “should” need. I find it very intriguing.
Doing Things You Don't Have To Do “In my book, there’s a long list of things that I consider could come under the headline of art. It includes, of course, obvious things like symphonies and photographs and paintings, but it also includes cardigans and jewelry and makeup and tattoos and all the things that humans do that they don’t have to do.” Brian Eno Sometimes creativity is something you sort…
Unselfish Joy For Others In Sanskrit, there’s a term called mudita. There is no equivalent word in English. Essentially, it means to have an especially sympathetic or unselfish joy for others—regardless of where they are in their own lives. It is a vicarious pleasure that comes from delighting in other people’s well-being. This is a concept that transcends jealousy and competition. It doesn’t cost…
Good Enough There is nothing wrong with you. You are good enough. At this time of the year of resolutions (does anyone still do those?), setting intentions and laying plans, be sure to celebrate the good stuff. Accept what needs to be accepted. Some stuff just “is”. Self improvement is not inherently bad, but we needn’t wait for the achievement of some goal to feel OK. Like what you like. Enjoy…
You Are Not An Algorithm Don’t obsess over self-optimisation and biohacking. It feels like taking control, but it’s often just repackaging anxiety and control as data points, says clinical psychologist Zac Seidler. Sometimes good enough really is good enough – your body isn’t an algorithm to hack . from The Guardian
An Author: Jess Walter Rather than write about one book, I’m highlighting an author. Jess Walter is a novelist and writer of short stories who lives in Spokane, WA. We had previously purchased a trade paperback copy of Beautiful Ruins on a trip to S.F. - in maybe 2012? It kicked around the house for a decade without getting read by either of us in the house, so I took it to the used bookstore.…
Homes vs. Assets I have a habit of perusing real estate listings, with only a vague notion of actually moving. We have pondered a possible move for around eight years now, before and since my retirement. We have lived in the same house for an astounding 36 years. So, no rush, I guess. What really strikes me is how many listings emphasize the INVESTMENT POTENTIAL. You can finish the basement or…
Influence There has been a lot of talk for many years about recognizing the rights of many groups of people who are marginalized in some way. The white, male patriarchy in the U.S. has been hitting hard to put more and more people in some group they can then denigrate. Unfortunately, they have gotten far too much traction with these efforts as they tap into racism, sexism, classism and nationalism…
EDC 2025 This is an update of my current EDC. Keys I have a simple set - one key fob, and one house key. No extras. Watch I wear one of several mechanical watches. A online stationery group led to a watches subgroup during Covid times, which resulted in one watch becoming several watches. Wallet The key words here are minimal and secure. I use a small zippered cordura case from Tom Bihn that has a…
Airshows and the 1990 Gulf War In the 1980s, for awhile, I enjoyed air shows that included Air Force F-15s, the Navy Blue Angels in F-14 Tomcats or F/A-18 Hornets, or the Canadian Snowbirds. There were also all kinds of historic planes - mostly warbirds - and stunt planes. This started with the Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, Alaska. There was only so much entertainment in Alaska aside from…
Passing on the Pentecostal Life I grew up with an uncle by marriage to my Mother’s sister who was both a Pentecostal preacher and a car salesman. This was an interesting combination, as they would disconnect the odometer on the salesmens’ demonstrator cars so every car remained “new”. Back in the 1960s, car engines were supposed to be carefully broken in for a few hundred miles. My uncle would…
Ecotopia One of the most influential books for me was the 1975 novel Ecotopia, by Ernest Callenbach. I was reminded of it this week when @Annie wrote about some schemes that included thoughts of an intentional community. I need to reread that book, but will outline some features from memory. I also have the prequel, Ecotopia Emerging. The premise is that the Washington, Oregon and Northern…
Letting Go I had the happy circumstance of two messages from different sources intersecting on the same topic. First was the daily mediation on Headspace, where he said that rather than seek to find calm, let go of thinking. Rather than seeking clarity, let go of confusion. The message was that we "effort" everything as if were work tasks to complete. We look for answers, rather than allowing them…