My little girl Isabella and I just spent the weekend at a gathering at the Providence Zen Center, the head temple of the Kwan Um School of Zen, where I meditate.There were five or six other kids there and from the moment we arrived Isabella ran around having fun and paying almost no attention to her dad. (She's only four.
“With what pleasure do we look upon a family, through the whole of which reign mutual love and esteem, where the parents and children are companions for one another, without any other difference than what is made by respectful affection on the one side, and kind indulgence on the other; where freedom and fondness, mutual raillery and mutual kindness, shew that no opposition of interest divides t
“The proper drinking of Scotch whisky is more than indulgence: it is a toast to civilization, a tribute to the continuity of culture, a manifesto of man’s determination to use the resources of nature to refresh mind and body and enjoy to the full the senses with which he has been endowed.” - David Daiches
Every other Sunday, The Simple Dollar reviews a personal finance book.
I really enjoy books like The Millionaire Next Door - books that focus on addressing the more interesting differences between people who achieve financial success and those who do not. What I particularly enjoy is how they often wind up mostly hammering on the reader’s preconception of what “success” means.
2008
Ten tips for planning a simple weddingTips on how to plan a simple wedding.
Unitasker Wednesday: The condiment gunYes, that’s right, you can now dispense condiments out of a barrel of a gun.
Resources to help you during a moveThese websites will provide you with valuable information for you big moving day.
Finding inspiration is a huge topic of interest for creative people. We look for angles to write about on our blogs all the time. Some days, that inspiration comes easily, and we ride the glorious wave of creativity that just seems to flow from our minds.
Other days, we wonder what train our Muse took and when she’s planning on coming back.
Several evenings ago, I was looking for a movie to watch when I stumbled upon the end of the Woody Allen film Manhattan. A single scene there has stuck in my mind - one in which Allen attempts to piece through why his life is worth living. Bill Joy actually described this scene quite well in an essay for Wired:
Every month, my wife and I track how much time and money we spend growing food. This is the report for March 2009, which was written by Kris. (Here are the results for 2008.)
One of the fun things about writing a blog is getting to know readers a little better, and them getting to know me. One reader recently gave me a Mini Cooper — a remote-control model Mini Cooper, that is. Others have sent me bacon-flavored stuff. Many have pointed me to comic-book/personal-finance crossovers.
Last weekend, Robert M. forwarded another little something for me to enjoy:
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
If you haven’t been living in a cave these past few months, you’ve probably have heard of Twitter. It’s an internet service that let’s you post short messages that are 140 characters long. You can follow your friends or famous people and see their Twitter updates. Twitter is what you make of it.
USA Today reports that Americans are building smaller homes:
New homes, after doubling in size since 1960, are shrinking. Last year, for the first time in at least 10 years, the average square footage of single-family homes under construction fell dramatically, from 2,629 in the second quarter to 2,343 in the fourth quarter, Census data show.
When I wrote about homesteading magazines in February, several people praised Countryside as the best of the bunch. Intrigued, I subscribed. I’ve received my first issue and I have to say: I’m impressed.
By Xin LuIn the United States job seekers are protected by a myriad of anti-discrimination laws. Despite these laws many potential employers still want employees that fit a narrow profile and they may ask probing questions to find out if you fit. Here is how you can recognize which questions are potentially illegal for an employer to ask, and what you can do if you encounter thes
I’m looking forward to a fun weekend. Rumor has it the sun will make an appearance in Portland, which means Kris and I can do some more gardening. I’ll also be able to mow the lawn for the first time this year. Tomorrow morning, I’ll make my first marathon training run.
