Ever since I was a little kid, I wanted to be a cowboy. I loved the idea of riding horses across the plains, catching cattle with my lasso, wearing six-shooters that I could quick draw and hit a 50 cent coin tossed in the air, being on alert for ambush from Indians, etc. My fantasy…
Crafting A Life
Lately I’ve read several books about artists, craftsman and tradespeople who eschewed a typical career path to instead become a “maker”. Their careers included custom motorcycle builder, pottery artist, glassblower, blacksmith, wooden table maker, handmade jeans creator, stone carver, knife maker, clock maker and calligraphist. Some of them were drawn to their craft from an…
I Don’t Want No Civil War
Ever since Trump was elected President in 2016, some people have advocated for “Red States” and the “Blue States” should split up and form 2 different countries due to political ideology differences. Then, fueled by the media hyperventilating over the various violent protests, riots, storming of the capital, Antifa, Proud Boys, cosplaying militias and cosplaying…
The Key To Eliminating Wasted Time
I don’t get mail delivered to my house. Instead, my street has a cluster of locked mailboxes in a stand in the middle of the street. If. package is too big for our box, the carrier delivers it to our door. Everything else – junk mail, bills and occasional letters – gets stuffed into our…
Cents vs. Sense
About 15 years ago, I gave up my favorite razor – the Gillette Mach III – because the cost for refill cartridges was over $3 each! At the time, I was beginning my hardcore frugal strategy to spend less so that I could put all of my money toward paying down a lifetime of accumulated…
Amy, What You What You Want To Do?
Every time I hear this song by Pure Prairie League, I think of a girl I knew in high school who I really liked but never dated. I met Amy when I dated a friend of hers briefly. Although I was smitten with her friend at the time and had set Amy up to double…
And Suddenly…Nothing
Since my wife died, I think about dying a lot. Not all the time anymore, but most days. I am more aware of life, aging, deterioration and signs of death. I notice when elderly neighbors and people I see regularly show signs of decline. I pay more attention to famous people’s obituaries and am curious…
Maybe This Isn’t Anything New
“Unprecedented” levels of depression, loneliness, anxiety, family estrangement, political partisanship, intolerance, difficulty finding a mate, etc. are discussed constantly in the news, podcasts, books, movies, and media. I’m not so sure this is true. I think perhaps humans have always had these issues. We just didn’t talk about it so much. Human nature doesn’t change…
The First Step To Solve Homelessness
“Give homeless people a home.”* This answer seems glaringly obvious and yet it is not what we do. I’d like to take credit for the line but I cannot. It was said on this podcast by Dr. Margot Kushel, Director of the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative. The rest of this post is my slightly…
The Internet Is Full Of A$$Holes
The Internet is full of incendiary trolls who make everything worse by dragging politics into discussions, picking fights and starting arguments. And I know why. Because in real life, we avoid these people who act like this. We all know someone who is an antagonizer, who picks a fight at family gatherings, who spews negativity,…