Family Gear 2021
Several items on my personal gear list were used by the whole family, and thus, this page was born. I have excluded our furniture. We keep only those items that are useful and/or are enjoyed which allows our family to focus on doing things that … “Family Gear 2021”
Read MoreFavorite Movies
A friend recently asked “If you could watch only one movie, what would it be?” This is an incredibly hard question. In the end, my answer was the documentary Weapons of the Spirit, a story of the town Le Chambon that sheltered around 5,000 jews … “Favorite Movies”
Read MoreAbortion – No Easy Answers
The following was extracted from the “preserve life” section of my make a difference post because a paragraph wasn’t enough. TL;DR We should compassionately discourage abortions We should be truly pro-life, not just pro-birth Abortion should be permitted when the mother’s health is at risk … “Abortion – No Easy Answers”
Read MoreMake a Difference
These are notes I made for myself when I was considering a career change many years ago. Last week several friends indicated an interest my notes so I am sharing them here. At some point I would like to flesh this list out with more … “Make a Difference”
Read MoreConfirmation Bias and Shoes
I have been reading Thinking Fast and Slow which I would highly recommend. If you have read a summary and think you know what’s in the book you are wrong. I think it takes example after example to actually internalize how easily we are influenced … “Confirmation Bias and Shoes”
Read MoreShopping Diet Retro June 2020
I strive to be grateful for my material possessions and not fall into the trap of consistent consumption. For the last several years I limit my purchases to consumables and replacing items that wore out for most of the year, aka a shopping diet. Think … “Shopping Diet Retro June 2020”
Read MoreBugforce Scale
Bugforce Scale as proposed by Paul Wagner is an attempt to describe how annoying mosquitoes are from a qualitative perspective. An example of one of my level 9 experiences was descending into the basin around Dick’s Lake is Desolation Wilderness. While walking down the trail … “Bugforce Scale”
Read MoreHiking Destinations
The following is a reference I use when selecting the next hiking or backpacking destination with a bias toward Northern California. I make it in 2002 and just now am updating in because many of the links were out of date. Each year I say … “Hiking Destinations”
Read MoreReplace Prayer List with "Cards"
In the book A Praying Life, Paul Miller asserts that we shouldn’t focus on prayer (the method) but rather God (the object). Miller has a very high view of prayer. He expect prayer to accomplish things. Not because we are somehow manipulating God, but because … “Replace Prayer List with "Cards"”
Read MoreBuild Your Life on Truth
Truth is the only thing worth standing on. Lies, falsehoods, secrets, excuses, might seem expedient, but they are like quicksand. They will drown your life if you walk in them. Lies can only hurt people and will rot away your heart and conscience. Secrets limit your ability to share fully with others and hurt your inner life until exposed by the healing light of truth and honesty.
Read MorePacking List
Updated December 2023 My packing list for trips than range from a few days to several months. Items “*” are optional. This list was extracted from my Packing & Traveling Light post. For a more complete description of these items see my gear for life. Packing … “Packing List”
Read MoreFamily Gear 2020
Items that I removed from my personal gear list because we have them for the general family. This list is incomplete. I plan to make a complete list this year, but haven’t gotten around to it. Maybe I will make the complete list in 2021. … “Family Gear 2020”
Read MoreThe Evolution of Cooperation
Last night I had a spirited discussion with some friends about US politics. One of our friends was expressing a concern that historically the US has been too “nice”, hopeful, helpful. We have created a culture people want to enjoy, but now we will be … “The Evolution of Cooperation”
Read MoreEyeglasses
TL;DR I am so grateful that I live in an era that can correct many issues related to poor vision!! It’s easy to take glasses for granted, but for thousands of years, people born with poor eyesight had to find ways to muddle through life, … “Eyeglasses”
Read MoreBlinkist, Summaries, and Personal Experience
For a year I tried using the service blinkist which provides summary’s of popular non fiction books, with a focus on business and self improvement literature. I thought it would be an effective way to screen books to decide what books I would want to … “Blinkist, Summaries, and Personal Experience”
Read MoreWine Country
You can get commercial information from NapaValley.COM. For years, I found The Best of the Wine Country to be a useful guidebook to the area, but it’s out of date now. Wine Wine is the first order of business. There are more than 400 wineries in the Napa … “Wine Country”
Read MoreSan Francisco
San Francisco is a beautiful, world class city. There are numerous museums, places of nature beautiful, great food, and well known tourist spots. You could easily spend several weeks exploring San Francisco and only scratch the surface. The SF City Pass can be a good … “San Francisco”
Read More