Okay. I know you’re not making New Years resolutions. Well, I don’t know whether you are; I just know from years of experience that the most outspoken readers of Living Freedom disdain them. Perhaps rightly so when one considers how laughably and quickly resolution breakages get rationalized. But last week, the question of virtues and aspirations arose in these parts. It came up as a result of my uncomfortable attendance at an Eagle Scout Court of Honor, and this distillation of what a Boy Scout is supposed to be: In the discussion that followed, Commentariat member David Gross linked to…
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Chortle. Microsoft finally admits (cluelessly or dishonestly) that its malware-upgrade on Win 10 went just an itty-bitty bit too far. Great illustration, too. And it seems MS is not the only gang of elitists in upper Washington state going a bit too far. Closing freeways so a football team can pass? Gimme a break; even if it were legal, it would be beyond outrageous. One more reason Mr. Policeman is not your friend. And another. And this horrendous court ruling reminds us that not only is Ms or Mr. Policeman not your dog’s friend, but neither are the courts. Are…
4 CommentsWell, I had my 90 minutes in a float tank yesterday. I didn’t find God (disappointing but no surprise). I didn’t morph into something pre- or post-human (I really must watch Altered States so I can be in on the joke with the rest of the Commentariat). Didn’t have a single respectable hallucination. And I could not say it was a transformative experience, except in the sense that it transformed me from somebody who’d never been in the tank to somebody who now has. That said, it was still a fascinating and worthwhile thing to do. I’ll probably write up…
19 CommentsAnd now I am off to claim an early Christmas (or post-Yule) present: a float in a sensory-deprivation tank. I’ve wanted to try this since forever, but assumed it would be prohibitively expensive and require a trip into Civilization. This float involves only a backroads jaunt from my small town to a slightly larger one and costs about 10 lattes. I’m a bit apprehensive (because although the float sounds glorious, being shut up in a small box has, I vigorously assure you, never been on my bucket list). But I’m even more excited. I’ll report on the experience. Might be…
11 CommentsThe solstice arrived this morning. At the very moment I posted this, in fact. While most of us, including me, were snug in our beds. So celebrate the return of light, fellow denizens of the northern hemisphere. Be relieved that the sun has not abandoned us after all — even if it’s not giving us much warmth for a few months yet. I celebrate with a feast, followed by silence and candlelight. In the morning, there’s music to enjoy. “When the Winter Comes”: “Logs to Burn”: “Praise Midwinter”: And an instrumental medley of other winter tunes, Celtic style:
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One day last week we were expecting an ice storm. Never did get it, but we received a pretty little snow dusting. I took this photo, which I just remembered while going through the camera card for last post’s Boy Scout image. Taken through a window with melting snow droplets on it. Artsy on purpose, seriously. Not just a bad photo because I was too cozy and warm to want to venture outside. Truth.
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