20-OCT

4 Replies

Seduction

Who but an atheist could think of leaving the world without having first made up his account?

It is then he will find in what mighty stead that heathen goddess, that virtue, which you and all other deists of the age adore, will stand him.

Tom Jones (1749) by Henry Fielding

Avoid at all cost the priorities in your life that aren’t in your top five, because they’re the ambitions insufficiently important to form the core of your life, yet seductive enough to distract you from the priorities that matter most.

Oliver Burkeman

17-OCT

5 Replies

Mephitidae

Before dawn last month a skunk crawled out from under the fence and made me spill my coffee. Our cat Biscuit went right toward it but stopped short & stood his ground – lesson learned from a previous encounter.

I immediately blocked that dirt tunnel with a bluestone to stop another from weaseling its way into our yard again.

Today: An Aesthetic Redesign

It’s not that the pungent mammal is unwelcome in our backyard. I’m only thinking of our cat Biscuit and his short-term memory. One faceful of spray may not have been enough for him.

Personally, I get along well with skunks. We hold mutual respect & admiration for each other.

At the Waterfall – Castle Rock State Park (2021)

I didn’t move toward it, it moved to me;
knew it wouldn’t spray if I kept perfectly still.

16-OCT

2 Replies

Traveling

Bicycle Route to Santana Row

Ride we had planned to take last year.

My biking buddy and I were stretching the concept of aging. We were trusting our instincts to keep us out of cars’ way, and pushing forward in terms of distance, testing our survival chances one way & another.

Google Map

Assume the Best; Prepare for Worst

“To a biker the sensation is real and pure and akin to something spiritual: you seek, and on the road you find.”

Caroline Knapp

14-OCT

2 Replies

Industry

Center Beam
Los Gatos Creek Flowing to the Sea

Hard hats and wet boots make for safe work on a weekday morning.

One character announces, “We’ll probably have to work all night on this presentation.” Another character replies, “That’s brilliant! Use inefficiency to make procrastination look like martyrdom!”

Dilbert Cartoon

13-OCT

2 Replies

Cubic

Darwinian Space with Intermediate Phenomena

Termite Castle Culture: Swarms of termites build castle-like structures without supervision or a centralized plan. Working independently without communication or a leader, they proceed using environmental cues.