I was chilling out at the parking lot of In-N-Out after having lunch there (because the weather is pretty nice today), but decided to go to a local library to have a nice desk in front of me and do some reading/writing.
I asked the Oracle at Googlii (via sandboxed Gmaps WebView FOSS app) where the nearest library was, and I was amused to find the nearest one is the library at the community college I graduated from (associate's degree) exactly a decade ago (well, in another month).
I think I've been here once or maybe twice since then.
It's so strange to look back 10 years to your late 30s/early 40s (only children and fools give out their precise age on the internet) and realize just how immature you were back then, and just how much life would take a sledgehammer to what you thought life was all about.
Maybe it's an ADHD thing, but I always find myself looking back. To my teens from my 20s, to my 20s from my 30s, and so on.
A song I've liked for a long time talks about this:
Remember the days when life was not so mysterious
Follow me down the hall to the cafeteria
Where the worst thing I could mess up
Was dipping yesterday's corn dog in last week's ketchup
Back in the 8th grade*chorus*
Why does the past always seem safer?
Maybe because at least we know me made it
And why do we worry about the future?
When every day will come just the way the Lord ordained it
You can believe it, yeah, just like the 8th grade
—Chris Rice, "8th Grade"
Every season of life comes with its own challenges. The things that perturbed me greviously 10 years ago wouldn't even be a footnote to me today.
The things I face today would cause 10-years-ago me to melt into a puddle of anxiety.
"If it be now, 'tis not to come;
if it be not to come, it will be now;
if it be not now, yet it will come:
the readiness is all"
Hamlet, Act V, Scene ii
Six Months a Mourner
Content Warning: This post deals with the loss of a pet. Also, Christian themes.
This will probably be my last post on this subject for a while. I do not wish to labor the point, but today marks the sixth month of my cat passing, and I felt that I …
read moreThe unfolding horrors of Toxic Masculinity
Content Warning: This post deals with the issue of toxic masculinity. If that (or the discussion thereof) is upsetting to you, please skip this one. Also, a minor bible reference is included.
I thought I had a pretty fair grasp on the idea and archetypes of toxic masculinity. I am …
read moreHow did we *survive*?!?
About an hour ago, I was catching up with an old friend from the 90s that I've kept in touch with through the years and visited several times (even though I moved to a different state at the end of that decade). We were part of a wonderfully tight-knit group …
read moreA Breath of Fresh Air
It's funny to me how simple, practical changes can produce lasting effects. It's also funny how something can seem so insurmountable when you're stuck in a certain mindset, only to realize that it's just a matter of a simple change of thinking and habits.
When I was younger (read: thirties …
read moreFreedom
Content Warning: this is all coming from a fairly Christian worldview, and so may seem a bit like proselyting to those from other traditions and beliefs. I'm just putting out what I'm mulling over, so as always, you're welcome to read it, or wait for another nerdy UNIXy post a …
read moreFun Chance Meetings
A couple days ago, I was discussing with my counselor the importance of in-person relationships. I commented on how incredibly easy it is to open a computer and drop into a meaningful and enjoyable conversation within a few minutes (especially on the Fediverse!), but that it felt nearly impossible to …
read moreA Handy-Dandy Star Wars Guide
I was speaking with a couple Fedifriends about Star Wars, and (naturally), we started having a mini-debate on which Star Wars movies actually "count."
The following is my personal thoughts on the issue, in a handy-dandy list format:
DISCLAIMER: I am, at the end of the day, a fairly casual …
read moreTwo months later
NaNoWriMo Debrief
I've heard about NaNoWriMo going back at least eight years. I had classmates (back when I was a middle-aged college student ;) talk to me about it, but I always thought the 50,000 words goal was just unattainable.
This year, I finally stepped up to the plate and participated, although …
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