The day I decided to have Snickers euthanized, I called my mom and cried. The next day, I called my friend Craig and we spoke for nearly an hour. Today, one day before it is happening, I called Bruce. Each, in their own way, offered me reassurance that I was making a difficult choice that was…
Other People’s Money
People are quick to spend money when it’s not their own. Politicians top this list. Government bureaucrats follow them. Then come employees of big corporations and institutions. Pundits, nonprofits, and media have all kinds of grand ideas for “what we should do” about various problems. It always involves spending someone else’s money (euphemistically called “investing”). I remember…
Crap Creep
When I looked around my living room last week at paintings I had stacked on every flat surface available, I realized it was time for a change. I hate clutter and my paintings collection had creeped up on me over the winter. I hung some of the paintings on the wall. The rest I gathered…
Lie Down With Dogs
One of the best parts about the life I have built is being able to spend most of my time with my dogs. I sleep next to them them. I eat near them. I walk them. We snuggle together. When I’m working out, they are in the next room. When I’m doing chores, they are…
Even The Library Doesn’t Want Your Books
When I was going through my stuff this week to see if I had anything to get rid of, I came across 2 books that I no longer need. One was a book on how to do DIY repairs (which I purchased on the advice from a friend, but have never used because I find…
You Can’t Make Someone Like You
My friend recently broke up with his on-again/off-again girlfriend and is back on the dating apps. He told me about his successes and failures in his first few weeks. There’s nothing new here. He has a track record of finding attractive women to date via the apps. Unlike me, he has even had a few…
I Can Draw This
I regularly download royalty-free photos from Unsplash and websites to draw when I’m creating pen & ink urban sketching watercolors. I’ll spend an hour searching for images of streetscapes, cities, ruins, lighthouses, farms and restaurants to use as inspiration. My technique is to simplify the image first with an ink sketch. Then I sketch in…
Toss, Turn and Trash
I threw out a perfectly good Japanese futon mattress last week. I bought the mattress right after I bought my house, thinking I’d be perfectly satisfied sleeping on the floor in a minimalistic Japanese style. After all, I’d just ended a 2 month road trip sleeping on an air mattress in a coffin-like unheated camper. Sleeping…
Uncanny Valley
I was watching a pharmaceutical commercial last night when I began to wonder why it repulsed me so much. It was the smiles that really got to me. Suddenly it became clear to me that the fake smiles gave me the feeling I get when I see a “too close to humanlike” robot or doll….
Fading Away
When I listen to an interesting podcast or watch an TV show, I’ll often check out the background of the people. I’m curious to see their work history, education, age and appearance. Most of the time, a quick search reveals personal websites, business related websites, wikipedia pages, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. Lately, I’ve noticed…