Blind “gun nuts.” Dare I call this an eye opener? Good one from Paul Bonneau on defending our culture from alien invaders. Why are so many lullabies murder ballads? Or at least sad, scary songs? One of my favorites — yet creepiest — of the type is the Irish lullaby The Castle of Dromore, aka October Winds. (Lyrics here.) How the economic hard times have been affecting … prostitutes. Yes, prostitutes. Sigh. Once again someone writes an astute, well-researched article about the catastrophe of government schooling — and draws exactly the same obviously stupid conclusion. And speaking of edumakation, here’s…
Category: Money
Posts about being frugal, getting out of debt, staying out of debt, spending practically and splurging joyfully. This category may also contain posts about hard money and what the government is doing to all that “soft money” it creates.
From the get-go, this roof-raiser was going about as brilliantly as it possibly could. But today? First came that totally surprising $330 from A. Then I collected the snail. OMG. D. — a honey of a guy — sent a package containing a Kershaw pocket knife, a letter with one of the most roller-coastery personal stories I’ve read in many a year, and two portraits of Ben Franklin. Whoa. I never knew old Ben was so handsome! Nearly there, nearly there … The next envelope shattered the glass at the top of the thermometer. I can only say, “Thank you,…
Today totally sucked. Today was totally blessed. That’s not as eloquent as, “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.” But that line’s already taken.
Some of what follows is pretty personal. Don’t click on the more link if you hate that stuff.
I’m working on a blogosaurus post, which I hope to have within the next few days. Meanwhile, here’s some randomness for you.
But first (and absolutely foremost), many thanks. Your generosity and support have been mind boggling. After the first red-hot week the roof-raising bleg looked as if it was going to stall out.
But nope. Old friends and new have just kept the funds coming. Robbie, Ava, and Kitsu the cat will all thank you for the dryness this winter. And you darned betcha, so will I.
Now, on to randomness, trivia, and the collection and dispersal of linkage …
It’s a mystery why one person can be poor but still be proud, independent, and reasonably content while the guy next door is only content to slide into a swamp of misery, blame, slovenliness, dependence, and cigarette smoke.
I agree that Alchemist summed things up pretty well by observing, “Poor is a state of finance. Poverty is a state of mind.”
But why?
Remember when “making a federal case” out of something meant it was a super-serious matter? Well, not so much now. (H/T G) Did development of modern human beings require diminished testosterone? Did it also require … but wait, let a neuroscientist tell you her brilliant ideas. The TED talk. The transcript. (Good one, LA!) Funny. Don’t recall Jesus ever saying that you’d be able to recognize his disciples by their works multi-million dollar residences. Eleven things humans do that dogs hate. (But wait just a minute. My pups love to get hugs from the right person.) I was going to…
I once briefly dated a guy who lived from hand to mouth. He got by on about $600 a month, mostly donated by friends who thought he was a starving genius. Literally he never knew at the beginning of the month whether he’d have enough to make it to the end without going hungry.
He was also a mega-slob. But he always said that if he someday had enough money to live in a nice place he was sure his “naturally clean self” would keep it impressively neat and spotless.
At the time, I lived in a house that was tiny but a gem. I’d bought it from a young architect who’d remodeled it for himself and his family and it was a work of love. Mr. Naturally Clean Self would come over and after an hour it would look … well, just like his place. Grime on the counters. Cabinet doors left open. Jackets and shoes discarded in the middle of the floor, furniture askew.
Now I realize some people just aren’t into keeping a tidy house, and that’s dandy. But I laughed at his self-delusion.
He also believed that someday he’d be famous and fabulously wealthy as an author. But of course, he never put a word down on paper — while at the same time he wouldn’t think of holding an actual job or doing freelance work because that would disrupt his spiritual and creative flow.
Okay, good people. It’s been a long time since I’ve asked for anything. Last year I skipped fundraising because it always seemed someone else had a greater need. You responded generously and helped some good people. Now I need a new roof over my head. It’s going to cost $8,300. I hope to raise half of that via this bleg. So here’s the goal: $4,150. Here’s the hope: that if you enjoy this blog and get something good out of it, you’ll donate. I’m also hoping that donations won’t just come from the Usual — wonderful — Suspects who have…
The bigger costs of surveillance that nobody’s talking about. Well, maybe not quite nobody. But yes, it’s strange (though of course not surprising) that the uber-government — and the public government and the surveillance complex that enable it — refuse to see how much they’ve broken and how badly they’ve broken it with their foul behaviors. Of course, to some of us, those broken things are also opportunities. For stronger tech. For alternative commerce. For weening the naive from their trust in the untrustworthy. For freedom.
The more powerful people are, the more time they perceive they have. Interesting. And an insight into why some of us always feel as if we’re scrambling just to keep up! And here’s the schedule those successful people follow. This came up at Joel’s place the other day. I think it was MJR who linked it. In any case, it’s cool in more ways than one — poor man’s air conditioning. Hm. Jeffrey Snider also goes on (as I recently did) about how seventeenth century England made such a difference to Americans. Then he goes on. And on. About modern-day…