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Many people under estimate the value of a good night of sleep. If you don’t cherish your sleep, you might want to read The Problem of Sleep which does a good job of documenting the value of sleep, what interferes with good sleep, and what the negative consequences of not getting enough sleep. There is some gear…
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Sleeping pads provide comfort which can enable a good night of sleep. Waking up in the morning feeling worse than when you went to bed is no fun. Some people can sleep on the bare ground or maybe 1/8″ foam pads for some insulation. Glen suggests that a minimalist pad works great when you make…
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Sleeping bags and quilts can provide light-weight and compact insulation for a good nights sleep. I have found that you get what you pay for when it comes to sleeping bags and quilts. It’s also important to have insulation and comfortable surface to sleep on top of (pads for most, hammock – with an under-quilt in…
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Historically the three best choices are Down, Polarguard (especially 3D and Delta), and Primaloft, though Climashield sounds pretty good and will likely replace Polarguard as the most commonly use synthetic in the next few years. Each of these materials has different performance characteristics. You will need to decide the relative weighting of these characteristics to…
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Shaped tarps can be exceptionally light weight while providing excellent storm protection. The downside of many shaped tarps is that they way you pitch them is limited compared to a classic flat tarp. Shaped tarps come in a variety of sizes and shapes. I have a separate post about “flat” tarps. There are also a…
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Tarps are often the lightest shelter to provide protection from the environment, provides more space / weight than other options, and let you stay connected to your environment when pitched open. Tarps can often be set up in a number of ways so they can provide protection for a group of people cooking and eating…
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A month ago I happened upon a short story on NPR about the rule of reciprocation. The human inclination to reciprocate has been used by canny individuals and organizations throughout time to extract factorable actions from others. Over the years I have worked for companies that have different standards about gifts received from vendors and business partners. Some…
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A week ago, a photograph went viral which showed a nypd officer’s act of kindness. Like many people I was touched by the officer’s act, as well as the response of many people to the picture that had been taken. Since the picture was taken a more detailed story came out, indicating that the shoeless man’s story…
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… with a focus on the mid-peninsula. There are a number of general websites which cover the bay area including Yahoo Bay Area, SFGate (Chronicle & Examiner), San Jose Mercury News, CitySearch SF, Yelp and Craigslist. This post is mostly about living in the SF bay area. I have a separate post about visiting Northern California as a tourist. Mid Peninsula Neighborhoods: The…
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For numerous years the Darwin Awards have documented the amazing stupidity of some people. I know many people who like to read these stories and laugh and cry at the sheer stupidity reported. Why do so many of us seem to like the Darwin Awards? I wonder if it lets us feel a bit smug, a bit…
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The following is part of a series of posts sharing what I have learned about dating and marriage which is to complement the teaching series we are doing at Young Adult Fellowship. While this post specifically addresses dating relationships, the core principle is equally applicable to platonic friendships or relationships with coworkers. I have had…
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As I mentioned in earlier postings, you shouldn’t expect to find someone who is a perfect compliment for you, someone who is perfectly mature. Why? Because both you are a work in progress. Neither of you will be fully formed and “perfect”. So it’s pointless to look at a person as they are now, and…
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In my previous posts I have suggested that marriage was designed to provide companionship in the context of a committed relationship where both parties choose to unconditionally love the other. The fuel for these sorts of relationships is a bit different from our popular culture’s model for happily ever after. Don’t Settle for Romance… Conversations…
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One could write a whole book, and many have, about what makes a good marriage. Rather than trying to make an exhaustive list, I am going to highlight just three things. I believe if these three areas are attended to, a marriage will ultimately succeed, blessing the partners and the community they are part of.…
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Let me start out and say something that I think is obvious but seems to be questioned these days. Marriage is good! For those who believe in the Bible, the argument is pretty easy to make, at least superfluously. God created marriage. God declared marriage good. End of story. Of course, this can result in a…
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The following is a series of posts which contains what I have learned after 27 years of marriage. In the last six months I have found myself spending a great deal of time thinking and talking with friends about the nature of marriage. Part of this was because I was involved in two Bible studies…
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Everyone I know want the opportunity to choose their long term relationships, be it coworkers, friends, or spouse. I have notice that this desire extends to the more transitory, day to day interactions. Most of us have a tendency to orient our lives so that our interactions will be pleasant, comforting, encouraging, or inspiring. I…
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In the last month or so I have repeatedly seen a list of the 5 most common regrets a hospice nurse has heard people express at the end of their lives. Julie’s 100 year old grandmother had just two items which overlap “spend more time with family” and “listen more”. It’s worth noting that there were…
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Seems like I have been talking with a number of folks who are figuring out what “Christian” dating means. This may, or may not be connected to our young adult fellowship being in the middle of a series which is looking at relationships which includes dating :). I thought sharing a few book recommendations whole…
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I was first introduced to Myers Briggs in 1981 when I read the book Please Understand Me. I did the sorter and found myself classified as an ENFJ. The rest of this posting assumes you know something about Myers-Briggs. If you don’t, I would recommend giving the type sorter a try, and read a bit…