Eclectic Living
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. The earliest version of this iteration of the Pledge of Allegiance (which incidentally didn’t include “the United States” or “under God”) was written in... Continue Reading →
A little morning uitwaiien in subzero temps Bodhi stops at a recently deposited pile and inhales deeply. But he longs to experience this more fully, so he gulps some down before his owner can yank him away. "Bad dog, that's disgusting, Bodhi!" The excrement makes its way through Bodhi's system and is eventually deposited again,... Continue Reading →
Part I And just then the boy had a sudden spasm, as if something had bitten him in the stomach, and uttered a long, shrill wail. For moments that seemed endless he stayed in a queer, contorted position, his body racked by convulsive tremors; it was as if his frail frame were bending before the... Continue Reading →
Many many moons ago, I wrote my last post, which focused on my financial independence, or how I don't have to work for money anymore. Ah, what an innocent soul I was back in the halcyon days of late 2018. Little did I know then that I was about to embark on the most challenging... Continue Reading →
I am a fortunate individual. I have enjoyed a lot of freedom in my adult life, and now, at 46 years old, I'm blessed to be financially independent. Getting here has been a mixture of privilege, fortune, good decisions, and hard work (probably in about that order). Now, if you're willing to stick around for the... Continue Reading →
"You don't know me - I'm a good guy," I rebutted somewhat angrily. "Yeah, I can see that by your truck," the man with the immaculate teeth said sarcastically. I had an idea years ago to start a website called WouldaCoulda. It would've been a social media website wherein people posted stories about incidents in... Continue Reading →
I recently went on a weekend golf trip to Arizona with a good group of guys. One might imagine that, in general, the demographic of guys who go on weekend golf trips would tend toward a bro-ish, self-absorbed, perpetual adolescence mindset. I hope that generalization's not true, and for our group, it wasn't. Still, I... Continue Reading →
My optimism stems largely from a belief in progress. Progress is the inevitable outcome of accumulated knowledge and enlightenment. As we understand the world better, understand ourselves better, we come to understand how to improve the world and our place in it. The Progressive approach is guided by reason and virtue. In many regards (hunger,... Continue Reading →
Here at the Cottage, my family and I, like most of the world, were shocked/stunned/surprised (dumbfounded, flabbergasted, stupefied, blindsided, bewildered, nutpunched?) that Donald Trump was elected president earlier this month. As what was supposed to be celebratory wine turned to bitter anodyne, a tumultuous fracas erupted in my head. My id, assholish as always, battled... Continue Reading →
What kind of world would we live in if politics were largely guided by science rather than greed or special interests? Under new prime minister Justin Trudeau, Canada is revamping its environmental policy to "ensure that decisions on major projects are based on science, facts, and evidence." Funny that this is, in the words of Science... Continue Reading →
Poppa's Cottage 