Quotables

We don't need to increase our goods as nearly as much as we need to scale down our wants.  Not wanting something is as good as possessing it.

-- Donald Horban

This made me feel rich.

Here are other things I don't want, and which, according to Mr. Horban, I therefore as good as possess: a yacht, a sports car, a fur coat, a vacation home, a Louis Vuitton purse, Prada shoes, a villa in Tuscany, a complete set of fine china, and a time-share.  I could go on.  But I think I am sufficiently amused and complacent!

Palms Up!

I know, I know!  I have bad posture.

Sometimes I catch a picture of myself or a sideways glimpse in the mirror and think, "Wow, that's pretty slouchy."

I've tried to stand straight, etc. etc.  The problem is that it isn't easy to remember to do these things all of the time.  Also, many exercises and stretching aren't suited to being seated.  And since I sit at my computer at work all day, it just adds to the whole mess.

But... I've found a quick "tip" that actually works.  And it works seated.  The trick is to turn your palms up.  You'll instantly sit straight.

Go here to learn more.

The Philosopher's Stone - To Stink or Not to Stink

This is post about Hygienic Philosophy. 

A little while ago I read an article by a minimalist traveler (he takes very, very, VERY little with him).  One of the things that struck me when he posted his packing list was that he uses a "deodorant stone."  Oh yeah, I initially thought, I've seen those before... stones that are supposed that replace your deodorant but don't really work because they are some sort of New Age crystal or something.  But I thought, what the heck, I'll do some research as it's always nice to find an alternative to liquids and gels when traveling so as to avoid the whole security hassle.

What I found was pretty interesting.  First, let's start with some information on your basic deodorant.  What you use might be 1) a deodorant 2) an anti-perspirant or 2) both a deodorant and an anti-perspirant.  Huh, you say?  Let me explain -

Dying Do's and Don'ts--Hair, That Is...

I know better.  I really do.

Soon after The Magician and I met, I dyed my dark blonde hair cherry black for a Halloween party.  It was wash-out dye.  Per the package, you were supposed to use it on dark brown or black hair that you wanted to give a purple shine to.  I thought that "not working" would mean that it would streak..

Fun with Family

This weekend was full of family fun.

I went to my cousin's wedding.

Congratulations, Trenton and Cari!

At the wedding, I got to spend time with my brother Mark, his sweetie Maria, in addition to the always-fun Rachel.  We're so glad Mark has such great taste in women!  It was a good time.

Conner had his last day of day camp, so we went to watch skits, hear songs, and find out who got the Muddiest Camper Award:

Yup, that's our boy.  I'm told he worked hard for it.  This is why my sister Rachel brought a towel when we went to go pick him up.

Saturday we tie-dyed T-shirts.

They have to set for 6-8 hours, so we don't know what they look like yet.

Then we went to see Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat at the Rose in Omaha with Mom.  I'd never seen it before.  My verdict: I was entertained, but not moved.   It was hard to understand everything. 

We also enjoyed a walk through an Arboretum, and The Magician had a successful show.  It was a good weekend!

Sunday Thoughts on Father's Day

Happy Father's Day!

Some people don't like to refer to God as "Father" and they've got their reasons.  Usually it's that their father (or fathers, or men in general) have treated them horribly.  I'm sympathetic to that.  I think fathers are a kind of emotional necessity.  Sometime a missing father can be more than replaced by a loving and supportive stepfather, coach, teacher, uncle, neighbor etc.  But if daddy was the kind of monster straight from nightmares and horror movies, that's all the more reason that God should be "Father."  We need all the love, supportiveness, protection, understanding, rule-setting, etc. that we associate with fathers.  The more damaged we are from the men in our lives, the more we need a specifically male God, one we can trust, Who won't abandon or wound us.  That can be healing, after we learn and trust that He really is different.

I was blessed to have a stable, responsible father, one who demanded a lot, but whom I could depend on.  And I've got God, too.  Since God is everything Dad couldn't be, I can rejoice in the gifts my father gave me, and not resent the ones he didn't.

I'm especially grateful for my dad teaching me to be logical and practical.  I've really glad I have that to balance my impulsive, artistic temperament.  Thanks, Dad!

Thought Experiment Results

This isn't exactly a shocker, but  I'm much happier when I'm not worrying/planning/trying make a decision all day long!

The shocker for me was actually how much time I spend worrying.  Way too much.  I didn't even last all day.

I heard once of a wise grandmother who informed her rambunctious grandchildren that bickering was only allowed on Tuesday at 1:00.  Whenever her grandkids started fighting, she made them stop if it wasn't Tuesday at 1:00, and the kids had to find non-shouting ways to settle their differences.  Then at 1:00 on Tuesday she would ask if there was anything they needed to argue about.  Whatever it was never seemed all that important by then.

So maybe I need to schedule worrying from 1:00-1:15 on Tuesdays!