Scree

noun : an accumulation of loose stones or rocky debris lying on a slope or at the base of a hill or cliff.

Convenience

Published August 9, 2020  ·  All posts on Aug 9

I’m not a full-on coffee snob; I’m more like a middling, level 14, coffee-snob-poser. I’ve had world-class pour-overs—beans weighed to the gram, water temperature to a specific degrees, controlled pour-over rate, beans roasted by the person brewing, one 8oz cup at a time—and I’ve made instant coffee from freeze-dried crystals… “Any port in a storm,” as they say. But most of my coffee is upper-middle: A local roaster’s beans, but ground incorrectly using a Krups bladed grinder, then electric-drip brewed, using filtered water. It’s fast, it’s reproducible, it’s a solid middle-ground “good.”

Recently I’ve been percolating coffee over a Whisper Lite gas camping stove. This is super fiddly. Set up the gas stove, connect gas canister, hand bur-grind beans, set up the percolator, (picture old-timey cowboys around a campfire,) set up the wind-screen around the stove, light stove with match, balance the percolator on the stove’s spindly, (but super-strong stainless steel,) legs, crank up the gas, (audible, I’m-not-kinding-around-over-here roar,) then about 5 minutes to boil the water, dial the gas down to a whisper, check the time and get a nice perc going—but not a rolling boil—then hover close-by for ten minutes… turn off gas, wrap stainless steel pot in a tea-towel cozy…

There are a million things in life that we do every day, quickly. Selecting one or three and intentionally doing them the less-convenient way is the absolute-best salve for the hustle-bustle busy and mental noise we create for ourselves.

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Why why why why

Published August 8, 2020  ·  All posts on Aug 8

And you begin to get a very interesting understanding of the world and all its complications. If you try to follow anything up, you go deeper and deeper in various directions.

~ Richard Feyman from, Richard Feynman on Why Questions

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Asking ‘why’ is a well-known way to dig deeper into things. But being able to answer a ‘why’ question is something I don’t hear discussed. My mind is stuffed with information, ideas, skills, and experiences. (Yours is too.) That’s not particularly interesting, and it’s certainly not useful.

What is useful is being able to dive into all that stored information and experiences to then craft a thread which leads the questioner on a small journey of learning. Sure we can take the highway and zoom past all these details. But something it’s the better choice to drop into the off-ramp, and onto the secondary roads; Probably still don’t want to come to a complete stop—if we can help it—but if we take the scenic route and point out more of the details… well, we’re effectively, (both metaphorically and literally,) compressing our knowledge and passing it along.

To the secondary roads!

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You know what you should do?

Published August 6, 2020  ·  All posts on Aug 6  ·  

Years ago, I would often say, “you know what you should do?” followed by some suggestion. When I started reading various things in the, “having skin in the game,” vein, I realized how useless—annoying even—my suggestion were. (For example, to a café owner, “you know what you should have on the menu?” is not going to be useful.) Over time I came to understand that it’s only in areas where one has deep knowledge are suggestions going to have any chance of being useful. (Don’t confuse that with observations—”the door to your bathroom is broken,” is definitely useful to that café owner.) By paying close attention to when I heard myself say, “you know what you should do,” I slowly learned to keep such comments to myself.

Aside: I wedged in a new behavior, as a sort of software interrupt. When I feel the urge to say such things, instead I find a compliment, swap out that text, and then resume speaking. If you’ve ever heard me seemingly-randomly whip out a compliment—to a waiter, to a shop keeper, a manager—that’s often, (but not always,) what just happened.

Unfortunately, although I made great strides in reducing the advice-giving all I’ve actually done is narrowed the area where I give advice. In too many instances I’m still trying to exert my influence. Then when things invariably, (since it’s not my thing it’s someone else’s that I’m giving advice about,) don’t turn out as I wanted I get frustrated. Go figure.

Note to self: Continue to root out the urge to exert influence.

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Splintering of the Internet

Published August 5, 2020  ·  All posts on Aug 5  ·  

What is new is the increased splintering in the non-China Internet: the U.S. model is still the default for most of the world, but the European Union and India are increasingly pursuing their own paths.

~ Ben Thompson from, India, Jio, and the Four Internets – Stratechery by Ben Thompson

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Sometimes my blog briefly turns into a technology blog—recall, this blog has a purpose; It’s a vehicle for my process of reflection. Boop! It’s a tech blog.

This terrifically clear overview of how the different Internets work together, and will be working together less in the future, is a must-read for anyone using the Internet. (Hint: That’s you.) We—ok, not me, but I bet you—don’t think about where exactly all the things we interact with are located. This article by Thompson will give you a basic picture. …literally, there’s like a crayon drawing at the end of it.

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Now the work begins

Published August 3, 2020  ·  All posts on Aug 3

This is the lesser told story about the quest for elite accomplishment. It’s common to hear about the exciting initial phase where you’re terrible but motivated and therefore see quick returns. But so many people, like C. K., soon hit a plateau. They’re no longer bad. But they’re also not improving; stuck in a circle that doesn’t take them anywhere.

~ Cal Newport from, How Louis C. K. Became Funny and Why it Matters – Cal Newport

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But I’m still left with the question: How do I distinguish, putting in the effort, from, bashing myself on the rocks? Because I’ve got the work-ethic, put-in-the-effort, do-the-hard-work, thing down pat. What I don’t seem to have—in my opinion—is success. I’m certainly not enjoying life generally. It’s just long stretches of hating myself in the form of insanely hard work, with brief windows of relaxation.

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Scrutiny

Published August 2, 2020  ·  All posts on Aug 2

Being asked to generate this kind of realistic solution requires letting go of the childlike fantasy in which one can have all upside and no downside. It requires really digging into an issue, developing a depth of understanding that goes beyond drive-by feedback. As the officer quoted above observed, by mandating that any critique be coupled with a counterproposal, Ike’s policy “made for more careful scrutiny and analysis.”

~ Brett McKay from, «https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/sunday-firesides-never-criticize-without-offering-an-alternative/»

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Not long ago I thought that this arrangement—requiring realistic solutions be provided when criticizing current ones—was unhealthy. I thought that it also led to people generally not speaking up when they saw a problem. But I now see that there are two different scenarios: raising issues and providing criticism.

“Always bring me problems,” is an important policy. It encourages people on a team to speak up when they see something they believe is a problem. The team then benefits from everyone’s perspectives, a culture of openness and honesty is created, and even when mistaken less-experienced people learn from their practice at assessment of problems. This is a different scenario than the one of criticism.

One of the hallmarks of constructive criticism is that it provide alternatives. In this scenario it is not sufficient to simply point out flaws or problems. To encourage deeper understanding each person must be challenged to find an alternate proposal. Doing so requires each person to understand the goal and the realities which constrain the possible courses of action. This type of constructive collaboration, where criticism is of the idea and not of the person, is where teams can really multiply the impact of the individuals’ efforts.

To put it as a spin on acting improvisation: Where improv instructs us to avoid, “no,” preferring, “yes, and….” Constructive criticism requires, “no, and….”

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Nom nom nom consumption

Published July 30, 2020  ·  All posts on Jul 30

If wisdom was as simple to acquire as reading, we’d all be wealthy and happy. Others help you but they can’t do the work for you. Owning wisdom for oneself requires a discipline the promiscuous consumer of it does not share.

~ unattributed from, «https://fs.blog/2020/07/thinking-for-oneself/»

I’m often thinking about the distinction between “consumer” and “producer.” Each of us of course variously take on both roles in our myriad daily activities. But today I want to talk about this—it’s in the above quote—common mistake with the concept of a consumer: Reading does not destroy that which one reads! We are not consumers of media, (books, television, social media, etc..)

Yes, we can get into pragmatic word-play—and I’m pretty durn good at that. But that’s not where I’m going with this thought. I’m fully aware that there’s a softer definition of consumer which colloquially means what one does when aiming one’s retinas at a television. But we have other, and better, words for that. (Such digression being left for another day.) Rather, I want to be specific about the word consumer. Let’s please stop using it in contexts where destruction is in fact not happening. When it’s used specifically, then the word can do more work

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Performing with a safety net

Published July 29, 2020  ·  All posts on Jul 29  ·  

When recording conversations for the Movers Mindset podcast the guests know I’m not going to edit what they say to change their meaning. They know I’m bringing journalistic integrity to the conversation. (I’m not doing strict journalism, but that feature of journalism is present.) I do my best to set up the correct space (physical, emotional and mental,) so that we can co-create the best conversation possible. I’m not digging for dirt, creating tension, nor trying to create any other saccharine artifice. But that doesn’t change the fact that we are performing for an audience. The final necessary piece to facilitating a great conversation is a safety net.

Each conversation… each performance is better if we can reach just a bit farther than we might normally be comfortable doing. That’s why I bring a safety net. I very clearly give the guest a safe word which they can incant at any time to take back what they’ve said.

I don’t include the guest in the post-production process. They’re not invited to review the material, or to give additional thoughts about what to keep or what to cut. In fact, the only people who have time to do that, are wanna-be cooks, who will only mess up the soup if I let them in my kitchen. Instead, I and my team do all the post-production difficult work which is in fact our responsibility. The guest already did the really hard work of being themselves on-mic.

I do also say, “take your time— silence is free and we can easily trim out 30 seconds of you thinking before you speak.” I’ve also a few other little coaching tidbits I share to prep them for being recorded. But it’s the safety net which makes them feel comfortable trying something they might otherwise hesitate about. Part of the magic of a great conversation is how it develops organically, and without the safety net most people dial their caution up a few notches to be safe. With a safety net, most people are delighted to take a leap to see what they can do.

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Context matters

Published July 28, 2020  ·  All posts on Jul 28  ·  

Not only are others blind to the larger context but we are often blind to their context. Only by zooming out and looking at the situations through the eyes of multiple people, can you begin to acquire perspective. And perspective is the key to removing blind-spots.

From Situations Matter — Sam Sommers

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For example: Knowing who wrote something provides useful context. In this case, the piece has no attribution—which is silly since it’s a useful, concise summary.

One way in which everyone—I can think of exactly one person, whom I’ve personally spoken with, who is the exception to that “everyone”—leaves out important context is by not being clear where ideas have come from. Everyone speaks as if each idea is patently obvious; “the sky is blue,” doesn’t need context when humans on Earth are speaking. But when you start to pay attention, almost everything else does need context. Where in fact did I hear this idea? Why am I repeating it here, in this conversation? Does my personal experience and opinion, agree or disagree with this idea?

A few years ago, I started demarcating ideas with, “I think…,” when it’s an original composition of thought, and “it seems obvious that…,” when that is the case. (And I only spout the third sort of idea—the ones I got from others—when I can recall or track down where I got it.) This forces me to sort my ideas by their contexts. Certain, uncertain, likely, unlikely, etc.. The first thing that happened was I started spouting off random crap far less often. The second thing that happened was that I found, (and have subsequently made a habit of looking into,) a lot of ideas in my head that were of dubious veracity.

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Most people are not yet born

Published July 27, 2020  ·  All posts on Jul 27  ·  

[…] recognize that at least in terms of sheer numbers, the current population is easily outweighed by all those who will come after us. In a calculation made by writer Richard Fisher, around 100 billion people have lived and died in the past 50,000 years. But they, together with the 7.7 billion people currently alive, are far outweighed by the estimated 6.75 trillion people who will be born over the next 50,000 years, if this century’s birth rate is maintained (see graphic below). Even in just the next millennium, more than 135 billion people are likely to be born. 

~ Roman Krznaric from, Six Ways to Think Long-term: A Cognitive Toolkit for Good Ancestors – Long Now

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50,000 years is, of course, somewhat arbitrary. But it’s a good estimate of the span so far of recognizably-like-current-us human history. It’s obvious that today, most people are already dead. It’s those trillion yet to come that warp the brain and create perspective.

This article from The Long Now Foundation has 6 good examples of explicit ways to think long-term, rather than short-term.

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Sabbaticals are not the solution

Published July 25, 2020  ·  All posts on Jul 25

What is it about digital addictions that make us think the occasional break will suffice?

~ Cal Newport from, Digital Sabbaticals Don’t Make Sense – Cal Newportsense/

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Weekly sabbaticals make no sense, sure. But less frequent sabbaticals are powerful. Take a week off from—whatever, email, social networks, etc.—and your addictions are made obvious. Nothing surprising there. The question is: Do you then consciously bring the addicting drug back into your life?

That’s not hyperbolic soapboxing; That’s a real question for you to consider.

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Do you have an “ask”?

Published July 24, 2020  ·  All posts on Jul 24

I don’t always have an “ask.” But when I do, I make it clear and I usually lead with it. This plays out in countless ways, and I’m hoping it’s so obvious that I don’t need to give any examples. Rather, I’ll just go meta:

When you have an ask, is it clear—really clear—in your communication?

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Cara-Michele Nether: Aikido, wellness, and honesty

Published July 22, 2020  ·  All posts on Jul 22  ·  

Cara-Michele Nether: Aikido, wellness, and honesty

How can personal experiences with Aikido and wellness practices be used to help others improve their lives through self-awareness, physical health, and personal growth?

Unexpectedly inheriting an Aikido school may sound overwhelming, but Cara-Michele Nether took it in stride. She sits down to share her journey in Aikido and acupuncture, and what she’s learned from both. Cara-Michele unpacks her views on overall health, and how she helps people improve their lives by focusing on their ‘why.’ She discusses her grandmother, the importance of self-awareness, and her thoughts on Aikido’s usefulness.

Nobody wants to do something that they feel awful about. So you have to make it easy and smooth for them and give them small reasons to celebrate and have a good time and feel like they want to come back.

~ Cara-Michele Nether (38:42)

The discussion focuses on personal growth and the impact of martial arts, particularly Aikido, on physical and emotional health. Aikido serves as a tool for self-awareness and developing resilience, as Cara-Michele shares her journey from discovering the practice to inheriting and leading a dojo. The themes of humility, connection, and navigating challenges in teaching and practice are explored in depth.

Health and wellness are central topics, as Cara-Michele integrates practices like acupuncture, nutrition, and functional movement into their work. She emphasize the importance of understanding personal motivations, or “why,” to make meaningful changes in health and lifestyle. Stories of overcoming challenges and helping others through tailored approaches highlight the transformative power of these practices.

Takeaways

Functional movement — Emphasis on exercises that enhance daily life skills like lifting, climbing stairs, or squatting.

Humility in practice — The necessity of maintaining an “empty cup” mindset for growth in martial arts and personal development.

Health connections — The integration of acupuncture, nutrition, and movement to improve overall well-being.

Legacy and impact — Encouraging others to recognize their unique contributions and preserve family histories.

Community and belonging — The importance of fostering connections and seeing oneself as valuable to others.

Resources

Strength and Vitality Wellness Center — A wellness center offering acupuncture, nutrition, and movement classes, designed to help clients achieve overall health and vitality.

Falls Road Aikido — A dojo founded by Cara-Michele Nether that emphasizes Aikido practice with a focus on personal growth and connection.

Kinokawa Aikido — An Aikido organization that strongly influenced Cara-Michele’s martial arts journey, known for its emphasis on martial and philosophical aspects of Aikido.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

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Mindful communication

Published July 22, 2020  ·  All posts on Jul 22

With few exceptions, e-mail use arose organically within organizations, with little thought applied to how digital communication might best serve the relevant objectives.

~ Cal Newport from, The E-mail Productivity Curve – Cal Newport

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As usual, this is an interesting article from Newport. He proposes a productivity curve for email—how productive we are without, with-some, with-more, with-too-much—which explains perfectly why some people love email and some people hate it.

The key point about email is to use it intentionally. Not simply one’s own use; not simply, “I only check my email twice a day,” or, “I’m always at ‘inbox zero.'” The key is to deploy email wisely, in a way which increases productivity of a team, (family, community, whatever.) If adding email into the mix is going to increase productivity, then do so. Then zoom out and look at all your other communication tools, and perform the same calculus. Email is simply one example of a tool which initially [hopefully] increases productivity, but too-soon becomes a detriment.

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Know when to punt

Published July 18, 2020  ·  All posts on Jul 18  ·  

25 days ago I started a wee challenge: Trying to train every day for 100 days straight. I’d done this challenge in 2017 to mixed results. Physically it was mixed; training every day is too much and I ended up defining some recovery days as “training.” Mentally it was also mixed; I wasn’t trying to build a new habit, so the “daily” part didn’t work towards that, and it became a serious drag forcing myself to train every day.

When I finished the 2017 challenge I knew it sucked and definitely didn’t want to make that a thing I did often, nor even yearly. When 2020 rolled around—my physical activity was exactly as usual, with me outside doing various things just as much as 2019—but I started thinking about doing some more rock climbing (outdoors, on real mountains.) That prompted me to think about getting into better shape. For me, that’s primarily removing fat. For the first couple months I concentrated on diet, which means focusing on when and how much I’m eating.

After I peeled off 10 pounds of blubber, that’s when I had the idea to take on a fresh 100-days-of-training challenge. It was exactly what I remembered it was like: It sucks. In years past I would have just embraced the suck and pushed through the thing. Note that I would have constantly considered myself to be failing. Entirely missing a day here and there, realizing I need a rest day and defining recovery as training, and just generally nagging myself with, “I should go train.” Instead I simply punted on the whole thing and deleted it entirely.

…aaah, yes, the power of “no” when you have a bigger “why” burning inside you.

When’s the last time you punted on something?

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Expectations

Published July 16, 2020  ·  All posts on Jul 16  ·  

All outcomes are manifestations of forces that are at work to produce them, so whenever looking at specific outcomes, think about the forces that are behind them. Constantly ask yourself, “What is this symptomatic of?”

~ Ray Dalio from, 17 Management Lessons from Ray Dalio

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This is pretty much the zero-th rule of being a rational agent. (But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t bear repeating.) The post from Parrish is simply a long list of quotes from Dalio. It’s a great list, and it’s assembled in the context of leadership skills. This one, (quoted above,) in particular speaks to me; speaks to me like a drill sergeant. “What is your dysfunction?!” Anyway.

Once I started practicing being rational—yes, emotions are real, they are important, they get their due… But once I started intentionally practicing using rationality as a tool I made huge strides in self-improvement.

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Adam McClellan, Caitlin Pontrella, & Alan Tran | Art of Retreat 2019 Recap

Published July 15, 2020  ·  All posts on Jul 15

On Castbox.fm — Adam McClellan, Caitlin Pontrella, & Alan Tran | Art of Retreat 2019 Recap

How can events like retreats foster personal growth, collaboration, and community-building in specialized fields?

Discover how open schedules and shared creative spaces redefine the meaning of collaboration and innovation at events.

Something new that we did this year was open schedule […] an open forum where anyone could add a session or workshop or something informal, to the schedule during our blocks of open time, which was really well received.

~ Caitlin Pontrella (0:54)

This discussion revolves around the role of retreats in fostering personal growth, community-building, and collaboration. Adam, Caitlin and Alan describe the unique atmosphere of the retreat, emphasizing the importance of an open schedule that allows participants to contribute sessions spontaneously. This format lowers barriers to participation, inspiring individuals to step into leadership roles and share their expertise. Additionally, the conversation highlights the retreat’s design, which fosters vulnerability, connection, and a sense of belonging through shared meals, cozy settings, and creative activities.

The group also explores the challenges and opportunities of organizing international retreats. Topics include reducing economic barriers for attendees, creating cross-cultural connections, and leveraging sponsorships to enhance inclusivity. They stress the significance of helping participants take the retreat’s transformative energy back to their local communities, translating it into actionable insights and long-lasting impact. A key theme is the interplay between deliberate planning and organic participant-driven creation, which collectively define the retreat’s unique success.

Takeaways

Creating space for spontaneous sessions — This fosters inclusivity and encourages new voices to emerge as potential future leaders.

The role of environment — A retreat’s physical setting significantly contributes to its emotional and social impact, enhancing connection and memory.

Barriers to accessibility — Efforts to reduce economic, geographic, and social barriers ensure more diverse participation.

The power of shared meals — Communal meals are designed to build intimacy and create a warm, homelike atmosphere.

Cultural exchange in international retreats — Cross-cultural understanding and shared learnings enhance the global community’s impact.

Emphasis on personal agency — Participants are encouraged to take ownership of their experience, tailoring it to their needs.

Connection beyond the retreat — A focus on enabling participants to take back ideas, skills, and inspiration to their communities.

The hero’s journey framework — The retreat experience is framed as a journey of personal growth and transformation.

Resources

Art of Retreat — Official website for the retreat, offering event details and registration.

Parkour Visions — A partner organization supporting the retreat.

Parkour Generations Americas — A key partner in organizing and supporting the event.

Zen Planner — A sponsor providing resources for event management.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

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What do you do while on the bench?

Published July 13, 2020  ·  All posts on Jul 13

She didn’t recognize there was a bench in her life — and because she didn’t recognize the bench, she didn’t focus on the game playing out around her. In baseball there’s a location shift, from a player being on the field to a player being on the bench in the dugout.

~ Callie Oettinger from, What It Takes: How to Pitch: Get in the Game

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I don’t personally think of my life as if I’m sitting on “the bench” waiting to be tapped to go out and play in the game—but it’s a good enough metaphor, so I’m running with it today.

The question is simply: What do you do while you are sitting on the bench?

There are many other ways this has been phrased…

What are you doing, each day, to build an asset that will be useful to you later?

Or if you are in a creative arena…

What’s on your web site that shows me the work you’ve done?
What’s in your portfolio?
Who can’t stop talking about you?

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P.S.: This question is part of my personal list of daily reminders.

Anything but boring

Published July 12, 2020  ·  All posts on Jul 12  ·  

…what I see is not chaos but home. A prose style that interrupts itself, that can’t seem to make up its mind, promises me the thing that I open a book looking for: a friend. That friend might be insufferable (Hello, Mickey Sabbath!) or maniacally self-involved (Bonjour, Marcel!), but what she won’t be, her parentheses assure me, is distant, withholding.

~ Ben Dolnick from, Opinion | (Let Us Out of This Clause) – The New York Times

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Say what you will about the Times—no really, go ahead, I’ll wait—but I am frequently glad that I keep the old Grey Lady in my RSS reader. skip skip skip skip yawn skip and then oh-hello! This piece is fun, and his perceptions about parentheticals and asides is something along with which I nod. (I shall torture my mother-tongue as I see fit.) Meanwhile, if I can get you to say, “not boring”—my goal isn’t so low, but while aiming for the stars I’ll settle for it—if ever asked to assess my blog. (Yeup, that sentence is broken just to make you read it multiple times.) A few days ago I was talking about texting. Today’s ramble through the brambles—is that a movie title? …it should be—feels like a postscript to my bit about how texting, (in it’s various forms,) slots in as sub conversation but supra full-on prose. Because I feel that my writing is as close as I can get to having a conversation… if you were a blind mute whom I couldn’t see.

End of line.

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