“In a book I read recently, the author talked about humans as transitional beings — beings who are neither fully caught nor fully free, but are in the process of awakening. I find it helpful to think of myself this way. I’m in the process of becoming, in the process of evolving. I’m neither doomed nor completely free, but I’m creating my future with every word, every action, every thought.”
~ Pema Chödrön
I had a chance to watch part of the History of the Eagles when my RAV4 broke down and left me stranded in New Mexico, and it was good. If you like The Eagles, you’ll like the documentary.
This healthy eating thing is still new to me, and I can never remember the name “brussels sprouts,” so I just write “balls” on my grocery list.
~ a note from August 18, 2016
“Hi, I’m Al.”
“L?”
“Um, no, Al. A-L. As in Alvin.”
“Oh, we thought maybe you meant, EL. E-L. As in, Elvis.”
~ a conversation with two girls from Mississippi many years ago
If you know the song, this is a great tweet by danny nett.
This is a fun response from this Ask Polly Q&A:
“Your in-laws are next-level, off-the-charts batshit.
Every now and then, a group of people assumes the traits and behaviors of sociopaths. Maybe one person in the group completely and permanently lost their doughnuts several decades prior, and slowly, each member of the group learns that playing along with this singular menace is the only way to survive. Eventually, the members of the group are so utterly confused and gaslit by each other that they enforce the will of the group and nod along with bizarre opinions until they can’t even remember what it means to think logically or have free will or behave like other regular human beings on the face of the planet.
Because these people are confused and weak and angry — and because they’re rendered increasingly more confused, weak, and angry by their exposure to each other — they tend to have less and less contact with those outside the group. And when they do encounter someone who’s not in the fold, they recoil and attack. Anyone who questions the group is attacked with words and actions. Anyone who questions the group is bad, and the group is good.”
When asked if he had the proper experience to be President of the United States, Ross Perot said:
“Well, they got a point. I don’t have any experience in running up a $4 trillion debt. I don’t have any experience in gridlock government, where nobody takes responsibility for anything and everybody blames everybody else. I don’t have any experience in creating the worst public school system in the industrialized world, the most violent crime-ridden society in the industrialized world.
But I do have a lot of experience in getting things done. So if we’re at a point in history where we want to stop talking about it and do it, I’ve got a lot of experience in figuring out how to solve problems, making the solutions work and then moving on to the next. I’ve got a lot of experience in not taking 10 years to solve a 10-minute problem. So if it’s time for action, I think I have experience that counts. If there’s more time for gridlock and talk and finger pointing, I’m the wrong man.”
“Your future needs you. Your past doesn’t.”
(I don’t know who originally created this image, but I like it. Kudos.)
“We are the choices that we make.”
~ Wade Kinsella’s grandmother (Hart of Dixie)
I don’t know the origin of this “moon in a barrel” image, but I like it.
“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself — and you are the easiest person to fool.”
~ A quote from a 1974 Richard Feynman commencement address at Caltech entitled Cargo Cult Science.
Me think, “What is friend?”
I recently had an infection which caused my heart to race a little bit, so my doctor wanted me to wear a heart monitor for a little while, which led to a scene that was too close to this scene from The 40-Year-Old Virgin.
“I’m that one.” I suspect that anyone who has ever wanted to write a book knows this scene and movie.
What did Pierre Trudeau say after learning President Nixon called him an asshole? “I have been called worse things by better men.”
Reminds me of our current president calling people names.
(Tweet by Jacquie McNish.)
“To have never taken a solitary road trip across country? I mean, everybody’s got to take a road trip, at least once in their lives. Just you and some music.”
~ Claire in Elizabethtown
I’m so glad I listened to The Book Thief on my recent travels. The movie is okay, but the book is 100% better.
The Book Thief is a favorite story of the last few years. I listened to the audiobook (hence this image) while driving around the United States. I know some people complain that the story isn’t original, but the writing style is very creative.
Went up on the roof of the garage to look at the meteor shower, which always reminds me that we're on a rock hurtling through space. Which further reminds me of this.
~ August 13, 2018
I often forget about it, but I was just reminded that Project Gutenberg has over 60,000 free e-books. This is a list of yesterday’s favorite downloads.
