Testing and Gratitude

Thanksgiving. Leaving aside all the political questions around the holiday, it's nice to have a day set aside for us to honor that which makes us thankful. This year kind of surprised me. Today I am grateful that I grew up dirt poor. Food was often scarce, and I lived without transportation, electricity, and even …

Further into Simplicity

I started this whole journey into vastly simplifying my life a month ago. A progress report seems called for. The overall theme seems to be "awareness". I am aware of so many things I wasn't before! And as I've simplified, the things I've never noticed before are affecting my life in some fairly significant ways. …

Envelopes, Labels, and Gods

People have wondered at the appeal of the Twilight Saga. Especially since Bella doesn't really have a character. She's got some blurry qualities, but her personality is amazingly bland (if you leave aside a complete lack of common sense with safety issues). Yet the books and movies have become worldwide beststellers even with a main …