December 31, 2016

one more trip around the sun, mmxvi

584 million miles for Mother Earth.
83 dog-walking miles for the month, 1702 for 2016.

New Year's resolutions and goals: an old friend reminded me that where you spend your time reflects what you value, so I'm keeping it simple this year and resolving to spend my time only on things that are important. Practically speaking, that translates in order of diminishing hours to: work, sleep, family time, dogs/exercise/health, making art and reading, and learning about horses. It strikes me that life would be better if I could merge the first category with one of the last three - you know, do what you love. (Note that I'm not including any time spent on screens, social media or pop culture generally. The electronic world is weird.)

But even more practically, I should probably resolve to go see my dermatologist again this year. And I'd still like to be able to do a handstand.

December 30, 2016

trail notes, mmxvi-xii-xxx

snippets, 12-30-2016

20 habits that changed reader's lives (The Guardian). Hmm. Unicycling might be fun.

Old habits die hard (also The Guardian). Yea, know thyself, is what.

It's resolution goal-setting time again, yup. I think for 2017 I'm mostly going to try to follow vowe dot net's advice on how to be happy (h/t dangerousmeta).

December 27, 2016

snippets, 12-27-2016

The spirit of justice, of physical honor was almost unknown to them, but they were loud in proclaiming the letter. Each of them lived in a fear of discovery; each of them who was able built up his own defenses of swagger, pretense, and loud assertion - the great masculine flower of gentleness, courage and honor died in a foul tangle. The great clan of go-getter was emergent...big in voice, violent in threat, withered and pale at heart - the "He-men" were on the rails.
- Thomas Wolfe, Look Homeward, Angel, 1929

Is there an echo in here?

December 25, 2016

December 21, 2016

trail notes, mmxvi-xii-xxi

snippets, 12-21-2016

Beautiful animal of the king (Paris Review). "At the palace, she showed off her signature gallop and ate rose petals straight from the royal hand." One of the paintings mentioned in the article: Study of the giraffe given to Charles X by the Viceroy of Egypt, 1827 (The Morgan Library and Museum).

December 17, 2016

porch notes, mmxvi-xii-xvii


The temperature is supposed to drop 50 degrees between this afternoon and tomorrow morning, but today was spectacular.

trail notes, mmxvi-xii-xvii


December 15, 2016

ooh, 12-15-2016

Wooden teardrop camper kit (Treehugger). Oh my golly. Cool.

December 12, 2016

snippets, 12-12-2016

What donkeys know about autism (NY Times). The latest installment of Christopher McDougall's Running With Sherman series. "...on the whole, day to day, things go better outside, in nature, than they do inside. Everything goes better outside."

December 7, 2016

For what more terrifying revelation can there be than that it is the present moment?
- Virginia Woolf, Orlando, 1928

December 2, 2016

snippets, 12-2-2016

Fake cowboys and real Indians (NY Times). "In the face of this we pray...In the face of this we love. In the face of this we forgive. Because...this is the greatest battle of all: to keep our hearts intact."