And she haunts me. Not in any ‘poltergeist’ or scary-crazy-lady sense. But she was my first love, and my memories of being with her sometimes rush over me so strongly I can smell the fabric softener in her clothes and see those tiny, ever so faint freckles just beneath her eyes. The worst might have been when I was in Ireland this summer. Her father is Irish and so by association I saw a lot of him, and her, in... Read more
Unhappiness may be confronted with unhappiness. Really. Get pissed off. Get angry about being so damned unhappy. Sometimes it works for me. I just think, ‘yea, I’m unhappy… but look at the world out there. People are suffering and dying and I could, theoretically, be off my unhappy ass helping them. Not all of them, no, but some. Not necessarily administering vaccines or cooking meals in Sub-Saharan Africa, but in some way I can be doing something to make a... Read more
Really all I want to toss in now is a raincheck for future blogs… First some self-flogging, for not blogging. I’ve gotta blog more, and write more in my little private journal. You can’t imagine how just inspiring it is to read some of my past entries, and enlightening to read others. When I think I’m down more than ever, I can just turn back to my entries of January 2004, or if I think I’m truly on a roll... Read more
I was raised Catholic, and so maybe I’m biased, but I seem to find plenty of nuts in their ranks. Here’s a story/website claiming that MARY IS GOD. That’s right, Mary isn’t just the mother of Jesus, the Son of God, who is magically also one with God and the Holy Spirit in the Trinity, now SHE IS GOD. Follow that? We all laugh when Bible scholars tell us that Jesus had brothers and sisters, and back this up with... Read more
(in gest) Stop the Press! “THE hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church has published a teaching document instructing the faithful that some parts of the Bible are not actually true.” ( from here ) NOT ACTUALLY TRUE!? Actually the Catholic Church made a similar statement in 1960, but, due to the fact that they refused to issue statements in any language other than Latin, nobody knew what to make of it: “Male imperando culpemus.Bellae internecinae fecimus.Bible est adusque falsus.” It... Read more
That’s right, ‘Philosophy of News’. Today I sat in on a discussion by Matt Gibson, publisher of The Independent and Calendar Editor and Writer Jason Wiener of the issues of philosophy in the news as both a basis of media principles and in commentary by philosophers as experts in stories. The discussion was a bit wavering at first, with Matt Gibson trying to lay out the principles of his own publishing philosophy, which seem to revolve around the admittedly problematic... Read more
From BadMash – Andy Dick is the President’s speechwriter; now it all makes sense… In case you thought you’d found the weirdest eastern essoteric religion out there, here’s a better one… And yes, it is for real. More new age goodness (not real) Alright… I’ll quit bouncing around Badmash. (getting into work is tougher than it would seem) Luckily an old friend is rolling into town right now and staying here for a day or two, so I’ll have human... Read more
The word ‘busy-ness’ has cropped up in my life in several ways recently. First, in my decision on whether or not to go see the Dalai Lama Sept 18-19 in Tucson AZ, I had to confront my own entrapment in activities. Then, in a Diamond Cutter study group in Bristol, England that I still participate in via the web, there has been worry that the group might collapse due to member inactivity. And most recently in the weekly meditation and... Read more
I guess its not just in blogging, but in life in general. That hesitancy in the moment of conversation, that lost opportunity to speak from the heart, the fear of nonsense and judgment. I’ve been feeling a bit of all of these lately and I’m only slowly coming to realize why. In a sense it is simple, I’ve written about it here (or my other blog) , I’ve discussed it with others, even teaching it once. It’s hard to describe... Read more
Where I’ve been: Mostly Bristol, England for the last year. Before that, five years in Missoula getting that BA in Philosophy, and before that eighteen years spent almost entirely in Helena, MT. Where I’m going: Ph.D. studies, probably. Peace Corps is a back-up. Staying in Missoula if all else fails. But first I need to finish my dissertation for Bristol, to get that MA (with Commendation!), and get applications out there. Simple enough – let’s do it. Read more
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