“Of all men’s miseries the bitterest is this: to know so much and to have control over nothing.” ~ Herodotus, The Histories
Tag: C’est La Vie
Jul 27
Winnr
Combing through photos and I came across this, from a July 3rd, 2010 fair game. The strangest things amuse me.
Apr 30
Booptart Dreams
The other day, I took a nap and had a very vivid dream. Upon waking up, I used my phone’s voice to text to write down what I’d just been dreaming. Here-in follows that transcription with minor clean-up for clarity and ease of understanding: Thursday, April 25. I just woke up. I’m using voice to …
Feb 28
January 2024 – Quote of the Month
“The human race is a monotonous affair. Most people spend the greatest part of their time working in order to live, and what little freedom remains so fills them with fear that they seek out any and every means to be rid of it.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, The Sorrows of Young Werther
Dec 31
Waiting on a Sunny Day
I’ve been fighting a flu here at year’s end. So this last post of 2023 is a quickie. 2023 was a, ‘challenging’ year (to put it mildly). And the sallow, grey, late fall and winter light has been draining. I took this photo at a local fair, July 3, 2010. I chose this image, not …
Jul 09
June 2023 – Quote of the Month
“Nothing is permanent in this wicked world, not even our troubles.” ~ Charlie Chaplin
Mar 28
Chris Rocked
There are so many serious concerns in the world. Right now, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I feel we’re probably as close to the brink of World War III as we have been since the cold war. Maybe closer. But as is often the case, the more serious the issue, the more depleting it …
Jan 31
Arbitrary Amazon Parcel Packaging
Amazon is a huge company that puts in an amazing amount of effort and intelligence to make for great online shopping experiences. But the capricious nature of Amazon’s packing frequently amazes me. A recent case in point: one order of coffee (about $20 value) and an order of two external hard drives (about $500 value). …
May 18
April 2021 – Quote of the Month
“We are no longer happy so soon as we wish to be happier.” ~ Walter Savage Landor
Apr 13
March 2021 – Quote of the Month
“Our life is March weather, savage and serene in one hour.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Jul 29
Five Feet Nine Inches
My better half and I know, or at least highly suspect that among most of our friends, we’re the considered the crazy germaphobes. Visiting Home Depot tonight, we saw a woman pushing her cart around without a mask. (In spite of the BIG sign on the store front that says masks are mandatory.) We grumbled …
Jun 30
Faith, Hand-washing, Compost Trespassing and Milk Drinking
Some more sights from a neighborhood walk I did in mid April. Again: I wonder at people’s thought processes. This is a decently maintained property. (Although the garage looks a bit nicer than the house, interestingly enough.) There is an interesting combination of earnestness and humor.
May 31
Yard Adornments
In pursuit of some level of exercise, I have occasion to walk local neighborhoods. There are little, implied stories in the neighborhood yards. I’m rather found of yard kitsch. There is a story here, if only we can read it. Here is one such story: This is the front yard of a house. The lawn …
Apr 26
Exposed Exposé
Watching news on YouTube yesterday, I was amused by a little detail I noticed in the background of a video of Alex Ward, a VOX staff writer, as he was giving a report to CBS News. In the video, Mr. Ward is well besuited as he outlines the latest speculation on Jong-un’s health from his …
Feb 29
In Gear Against the Gloom
Ah! February 29th: the rarest of blog days. Kind of makes me wish I was born on February 29th, then I’d be four times as young. Since September of last year (2019), I’ve been getting out, doing a lot of walking and hiking. And this last weekend, we did an overnight backpack trip. (I’ve done …
Jan 28
Single Rubber Glove
I started to write an entry on the state of news and the world of politics but I felt the life force draining from my body, so I’ve shelved that. Let’s just say: it’s bad and we’re all doomed and leave it at that for now. However, in a matter that somehow feels vaguely like …
Nov 30
Catalog
I have 104,403 photos in my photo library catalog. That is the majority, but it isn’t all of them. Invariably, there are a few thousand floating in folders that have not yet been imported. I often ask myself, what good do all of these photographs do? What will become of all of my efforts to …
Aug 23
Stoned
In February of this year, I visited the local Science Center and was amused by this dispenser, set out-side of the gift shop. Above the dispenser was a sign that these were ‘gems from around the world‘. Clearly, something had happened because the original signage for the dispenser was supplemented after it had gone to …
Apr 10
March 2019 – Quote of the Month
“Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad.” ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Feb 25
January 2019 – Quote of the Month
“How do I confront aging? With a wonder and a terror. Yeah, I’ll say that. Wonder and terror.” ~Keanu Reeves
Oct 30
Penny-ante
I shop a lot with Amazon. A lot. – With few exceptions, I go to Amazon for 95% of my non-perishable purchases. But for some things, I still like to have an in-person experience. These things include: TVs and monitors (for first hand viewing of image quality), audio gear (hearing is believing), furniture and vehicles …
Oct 01
September 2018 – Quote of the Month
“Oh, life is like that. Sometimes, at the height of our revelries, when our joy is at its zenith, when all is most right with the world, the most unthinkable disasters descend upon us.” ~ Ralphie (Narrator) A Christmas Story by Jean Shepherd
Aug 21
Insect Screens Will Not Stop Children from Falling Out of Windows
I love product warnings about obvious things and I wonder if they’ve ever stopped a single injury. I figure if you’re not smart enough to figure it out on your own, you’re probably not smart enough to heed a warning. – Assuming you’re able to read in the first place. Of course, the reality is that …
Jul 30
And the Award for Most Wasteful Packaging Goes To…
The chain we use to hang our hammock has gotten tight as the trees have grown. I decided to replace them with webbing. So, along with a number of other items, I ordered two climbing slings at the same time. I received a few boxes including one each for the webbing slings. It was actually …
Jun 30
Dismembered Drawings
I’ve been doing some significant reorganization which has required combing through lots of stuff I haven’t looked at for ages. Among some of the containers I found old drawings. Here are two that I did – probably when I was in eighth grade. I’m pretty sure that the drawings that I did then would not …
Mar 08
February 2018 – Quote of the Month
“The suspense is terrible. I hope it will last.” ~Oscar Wilde
Feb 28
Nobody Puts Baby in a Box
Doing some more organizing around the house which means more bins and labels! I have to say, this warning label has saved me from a lot of embarrassing situations… Seriously though: every hospital should have to show this label to every parent of a newborn before allowing the parents to take the baby home. The …
May 30
Fluffy Pillow or ET Arms
Shopping at a local Sears Outlet, my eye was caught by a comfy looking pillow. Looking closer, I see that the manufacturer was kind enough to provide an illustrated guide on how to use the pillow. Looking closer yet, I noticed the girl with the E.T. Arms. Ouuuuch… (PS. * Yes: I know, the pillow …
Apr 03
Roger, Roger. What’s our vector, Victor?
This is Your Captain Speaking… You’re at the airport. You go through extensive “security”. You board the multi million dollar jet that must function flawlessly under extremes of speed, temperature and altitude so that you, your fellow travelers and countless people on the ground are not injured. You sit back in your seat in this …
Mar 08
Computer Weary
Upgrades Can Be Downgrading I’ve been burned out on computers for several weeks now. During the new year I added a new printer that acted like a virus and really messed my system for awhile. Since I had to fix many printer related problems I took the opportunity to upgrade my system from 8.6 to …
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