I got into a huge debate today about the distinction between religion and spirituality, and the relative worth of the two concepts. Instead of boring you with more of my cocky atheism, I’ll just quote a Zen story that I think captures the whole thing: The Real Miracle When Bankei was preaching at Ryumon temple, a Shinshu priest, who believed… Read more →
Category: Storytime
Recent Family Outings
In an attempt to somewhat balance the “what a terrible parent” image I presented earlier this week, here’s a short account of some of what we’ve done over the last couple of weekends. This past weekend featured a family trip to the movies to see one of the two HRM showings of the new(ish) Cirque de Soleil film, Delirium. Sarah… Read more →
My thought for the day
There are things I miss, but not enough to pay the price for having them. “The Old Man Dreams” Oh for one hour of youthful joy! Give back my twentieth spring! I’d rather laugh, a bright-haired boy, Than reign, a gray-beard king. Off with the spoils of wrinkled age! Away with Learning’s crown! Tear out life’s Wisdom-written page, And dash… Read more →
We’re totally taking the cover. Mostly me.
Part 1: Apparently we’re raising a racist. So, apparently Sarah has joined the Klan. Imagine the scene: we’re out for lunch on Saturday, having our usual meal at Tarek’s, which is very busy at lunch, with a very ethnically diverse crowd. It’s a Turkish place, and it’s great–we’ve been there most Saturdays for the last couple of months. Sarah walks… Read more →
Little Brother On YouTube
When I was playing with YouTube last night, in order to pull out the music for that wildly dissimilar mix, it occurred to me that essentially everything is on YouTube–a revelation that’s been brewing at least since I found Closet Land on there. So I decided to see if there was anything there featuring my brother. (See my retrospective post… Read more →
What A Busy Weekend
So, just to review: Dark Knight on Friday night. It was well past time for me to have seen it, I know, but having children changes the number of opportunities you have to go to the movies, as well as really altering the economics of the “night at the movies”. And actually the primary reason we went out at all… Read more →
I can not afford some Art.
I have survived the day of endless meetings. As soon as the last evening meeting ended, I hauled ass down the road to the bookstore to unwind with some browsing before it closed. I made some weird purchases that I suspect I might not have made if I weren’t dazed and confused from the meeting marathon. Case in point: I’m… Read more →
Post-Storm Scenery
For no special reason, here’s a photo of my second favourite vista on the “backwoods Maine” segment of my drive to Boston: Check out that sky. Oh, and the favourite vista on Route 9? There’s not really a safe place to stop and take a picture. Besides, I kind of like it being this ephemeral thing I have to grab… Read more →
Aside
No problem. One hour of mist and fog, three hours of full on torrential downpour and high winds, and then seven hours of lovely fall driving in the “clear after a storm” weather.
Passed six cars in the ditch, and eleven emergency response vehicles with lights flashing during the downpour bit. These are people who don’t slow down even when the highway is under water and they’re hydroplaning along at 120km/h. Thinning the herd.
A/C stopped working in Maine. Windows down, driving fast, listening to Thin Lizzy and the Clash really loud. Excellent.
Road Trip?
In theory I’m driving down to Boston tomorrow. My route will look something like this: The tiny eight ball there indicates roughly where I expect to be at around 2PM local time. Why 2PM? Hold that thought. Normally I take the southern route, going through Saint John, and crossing into Maine much closer to the ocean, but for reasons that… Read more →
Why I Will Soon Have To Get A New Job
I work every day with people all over the world. Consequently, it is often hard to set a meeting time that is useful to everyone who needs to be in a meeting. I am quite prepared to work in the evenings, and often do, but I really, really, want to keep that narrow window of time between “Sarah gets home… Read more →
Sometimes you have these thoughts…
So, about that whole mind-body divide thing. What if we go with the assumption that it’s a kind of hardware/software situation: that the chemistry and the organics are a machine that manipulates a something else–a pattern of energy, an emergent system. The changes in this pattern result in what we perceive as consciousness. Hell, maybe the pattern can even exert… Read more →
Time flies
How is it that four years have gone by so fast? Does it really only take four years to turn a gang-sign throwing newborn into a young lady who uses facepaints to make herself into a tiger? 2004-08-18: 2008-08-18: I found myself at breakfast this morning with the birthday girl, her mom, and her grandfather. During a moment alone with… Read more →
T-shirts from futures past
After four years of wearing only solid colourMostly black, I admit. t-shirts for everyday wear–primarily a habit I developed during my daughter’s infancy, as between her and I several shirts a day were suffering various stains, and I wanted cheap, “hot swappable” clothing–I am starting to pick up a few new interesting printed shirts. (Yes, I have lots of “not… Read more →
Well, this should solve a few problems.
The KGB Raffle winners are up. It appears I have won a wormhole. Could this, combined with my recently acquired Mad Scientist goggles, be the beginning of my career as a supervillain? Or, alternately, the beginning of a mildly comic adventure through time and space? Read more →
