Quick 3 mile ramble in the woods to clear the head.
Just discovered Gloomcore on Spotify. Found my new go to working background music.
Philosophy- Friend or Foe?
“The impregnable wall of philosophy helps us tame the mad frenzy of our greed and tamps down the fury of our fears.” - Seneca
In other words, it is philosophy that allows us to gain true perspective on our lives. Perspective to see that our anxieties most often do not come to an actual evil fruition. Perspective to see that our desire for more, at its core, is not really a desire for material wealth, but instead for meaning and purpose.
Philosophy then is the greatest aim of the human mind, if done consistently, and done well. A noble pursuit that will benefit not just the participant, but those around him as well.
Unless of course philosophy is the mind’s best ego-enhancing strategy to keep us from ultimately quieting the mind itself ?
Flash Fiction
Below is an old piece of flash fiction I found in a notebook. Don’t even remember writing it, but I kind of like it.
Airport lockers. We rent them the way people once rented apartments before ubiquitous heli-travel. They represent our public space. Somewhere to store, fill, or hide. The contents tell tales, but mine has been silent. It has always been empty.
Until today.
Someday, when she realizes this locker has been abandoned she’ll open it. I can almost see the look on her face as it spills onto the floor at her feet. I’ll be gone, but the questions will remain. Why? How? And honestly, I couldn’t say.
Maybe it was something she said.
Last day of classes and now summer can officially begin. But no rest for the wicked as I ’m completely booked with client work for the next couple weeks. At least that work can all be done from my couch!
It’s a June long weekend and I’m drinking beer on the deck, grilling some burgers.
I’m also scrolling Halloween accounts on Instagram because I’m read for fall.
sorrynotsorry
Ran my fastest half mile time in about ten years today. It’s not fast for most people, but it was lightning for me. Gonna ride this high for a while.
The school district I work in has been discussing whether or not to continue reading “To Kill a Mockingbird” and this [short clip] (https://twitter.com/TheView/status/1535064204549431299?fbclid=IwAR3B6LyS_Zp1-zwExZBZx_XJZgWipO0QUDvby1JlgTHxgXQsFKsv0c6VL_E) is the best formation of an answer in the affirmative I have seen recently.
Spent my Saturday afternoon on a website rebuild. Pretty happy with it.
A surprise dusting of snow? I wish!
An allergy-killing spring crop of pollen. 🤧
My wife, who wore out her original VHS tape years ago, was extremely excited to see TOP GUN today.
I was…less enthusiastic.
But it was great! The flight scenes alone were worth the price of admission.
And the MI preview!!!!
My students have been hounding my lately to tell them what kind of music I like. But at my age coming up with a succinct answer isn’t easy. So of course I made a playlist. 20 songs that are currently on heavy rotation for me. Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0WTc4ppwMrPPYIy3gJ1DdW?si=0b5ca7e842964a7a&nd=1
📝 “You go outside and for a second all you hear are the animals running around, or wind in the air. In many ways this is the gap; it’s what is going on in life before we add something to it in the form of a mental narrative.” - Your Mind is a Prison by Jason Rosander
Emphasis mine.
Cholesterol was a little high at my yearly physical and my new doc recommended intermittent fasting before a statin.
I like this guy. 👍
I’ve also had a lot of luck with this type of eating some I’m on board for some changes.
🥗 Started intermittent fasting again- the 20/4 variety. I do pretty well with this as I am not usually terribly hungry for the first half of the day anyway. However, as last night’s Chinese dinner showed, I really need to pay attention to macros when I do this. Minimal protein Saturday means a very sluggish Sunday.
🧬 My Ancestry DNA results updated and my Welsh numbers jumped. So yes, I did add Welsh to my Duolingo account.
😶 Benedictine monks wake up each morning and make the choice to be silent.
Lesson there.
Currently reading: Everyday Resilience by Gail Gazelle 📚
Currently on self improvement kick.
Just made dinner and parking reservations for this Friday.
We’re going into Boston to see A Night With Neil Gaiman. This will be our first time at an author show and I am not really sure what to expect.
Pretty excited though.
Curious if sites like Micro.blog see an uptick this week. Seems like a good time to find a more peaceful place to spend time online. I for one also recommend MB. Nicest community around.
Currently reading: Secrets of Self-Mastery by Mitch Horowitz 📚
Helped a friend move a piano today, and at our age the fact that no one threw out their back or tweaked a knee is a win. 💪
“Imagine that you have been put under a hypnotic trance in which you were told that you would be a person that was constantly concerned and afraid of life. You were told that you were a physical body that would die and that that could happen at any moment. You were told that to be happy or satisfied you would have to have the right amount of money, the right relationship, the right possessions, and the right circumstances. You were told that you would not remember that you had been put in a trance. The only way you could come out of the trance would be to notice the trance itself and realize that it was possible for you to be free of it. To consciously remember that you were not what you were told you were, and to recognize that fact long enough, will allow for the trance to be broken.”
DYING TO LIVE by David Parrish
📚 Currently reading- DYING TO LIVE: THE END OF FEAR by David Parrish
“To work today is to be asked, more and more, to do without thinking, to feel without emotion, to move without friction, to adapt without question, to translate without pause, to desire without purpose, to connect without interruption.” Moten