This week I finished: Albatrosses, by Diane Ackerman: I took a year off of college in 1990. I gathered all the savings I could, about $1,000, bought a one-way courier ticket to Paris for $140, and did my best to stay a year. If my savings dropped to $140, I’d have to decide either to use my last $140 to buy a flight home or commit to staying somehow. I[…] Keep reading →

Maybe you’ve heard me share how from when I had my own kitchen, I always had ice cream in my freezer and pretzels and Doritos in my cupboard. I struggled to pace my consuming them, but nearly always ate more than I meant to, but kept buying more. Now I say there isn’t enough money in the world for me to eat that stuff. I also talk about my relationship[…] Keep reading →

This week I finished: Strong Towns 101, by Strong Towns: Podcast listeners know I hosted Jason Slaughter, the host of Not Just Bikes, a video series I love. It’s one of my few subscriptions to anything. He refers to Strong Towns a lot. I finally dug in to their courses, so I’m not just learning courses on conservatism and their recommended readings. Regular readers may know I I helped get[…] Keep reading →

Want to hear what we should do to decrease polluting, depleting, and plunder? Milton Friedman’s advice on curbing government spending to reduce inflation applies: “A tough policy that takes courage.“ Watch this video, but substitute the following, So I hear: “Pollution is the most destructive disease known to modern society.” Instead of Substitute Inflation Pollution Economy Economy and people Employment/Unemployment More technology/Less technology He knows what has to be done[…] Keep reading →

All humans until about a century ago lived without a fridge, as do many today. Coming up on three years with my fridge unplugged, I ferment a lot, and learn other ways to keep foods from going bad. Jams, jellies, and preserves were ways to keep fruits from going bad. Now that everyone has fridges and we ship produce around the world, we can get fresh fruit all the time.[…] Keep reading →

I keep thinking of little things that bring me joy and want to collect them in a post. I never start the post because I can only think of a few every time I post. I’m going to start the post with only a few and add to it. Sorry if you’re reading this when I just posted and have only three items, but I hope you enjoy cleaning your[…] Keep reading →

This week I finished: In my time of dying: How I Came Face to Face with the Idea of an Afterlife, by podcast guest Sebastian Junger: Sebastian and I have met a few times in Manhattan and become friends. His book Tribe influenced my book tremendously, in fact I read it the morning I unplugged everything in my apartment, beginning living off the grid in Manhattan. I was predisposed to[…] Keep reading →

This week I finished: When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi: This book sold huge and I’ve seen it for years. I kept comparing it to Ikiru the movie by Kurasawa and Death of Ivan Illyich the novella by Tolstoy. They’re all works on evaluating and reevaluating life, how to live it, and what we value when confronted with mortality. Man’s Search for Meaning by Frankl too. People may look[…] Keep reading →

This week I finished: Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, by Neil deGrasse Tyson: I didn’t know how popular this book was when I read it. Now I see it was on the New York Times bestseller list over a year and has over 30,000 reviews on Amazon. I think of science as something you do involving nature. You can experiment, work with equations, or other active things, but I[…] Keep reading →