Changing Roles

More and more these days I find myself playing Obi-Wan, and realizing I'm no longer likely to be Luke. That's not a bad thing. Far better than I ever expected to make it to.

Not Feeling It

Posting something today to meet the goal, but the creative juices aren't flowing. Spending the day explaining to people that the security baby is ugly doesn't fill me with joy. Best I can say is, at least they're finding out from testing and not bad events.

Animal Sorting Houses

You can blame lack of sleep and medicated brain for this mash-up: Hogwarts, but sorting into the individual houses in the style of Animal House... Ron Weasley - "He's a legacy, we have to take him." Neville Longbottom - "Why not, we need the dudes." Harry Potter, the innocent kid unaware of the system (no change I realize). And, with the Gringots money, definitely the Pledge Representative to the Social Committee. And, please - tell me that Slytherin wouldn't haze the pledges just like the Omegas did...

Follow-up on the Clown Show

DaddyBear has some appropriate commentary on the upward movement of yet another career politician to the role of Speaker. I don't disagree in the slightest. If we did nothing but impose mandatory term limits for all elected officials it would solve so many problems.

The Clown Show

Watching the shenanagins going on in D.C. currently with the attempt to elect a Speaker for the House of Representatives honestly comforts me. If they're busy playing back and forth on this, it's keeping them from meaningfully messing anything else up for the moment - I'll take the reprieve.

The Value of Time

No, not the typical "you don't get seconds back, don't waste them;" sort of post, although tangently related. Rather, just another observation today of the price of my time, and what I'm willing to spend it on - or, conversely, what I will spend money to avoid. Today stemmed from some car work done in conjunction with the annual safety inspection. Could I have done the majority of what I had the mechanic do this morning? Sure, particularly since there's an Internet video for just about any sort of maintenance these days. But, odds are it would have taken me about twice as long to do so, not counting dealing with the mess afterwards, probably at least one bonus run for parts, and so forth. So, I paid someone else to do the work and deal with the stress (along with the comfort of knowing it was probably done better than anything I would have managed). I've reached a point in life where fortunately I can do so, both financially and mentally. Not that I do so carelessly, or for everything. Some tasks I want to do my own work so I know it's done a certain way, or to develop a skill, or simply because I enjoy them. I'd rather spend an hour outside in the world mowing my lawn and getting fresh air than pay someone to do yard work as one example. But, for a number of things part of the decision factor is "will the stress and time of doing this myself outweigh the financial cost in paying someone else to do it?" Because my time and mood have a value as well.

A personal experiment

 For most of my life I've carried a pocket knife in those spots legally permitted (and, more than once, those not...). It's a tool. Opening boxes and packages, cutting food, slicing a line, trimming a hangnail, or in extremis self-defense, knives are one of the things which separate us from animals. Those who know me aren't surprised or shy to ask for help if something needs cutting, or to be used to seeing the sign of where I typically carry a folding blade.

While not my own cultural background, I've always enjoyed that Nordic proverb "A knifeless man is a lifeless man."  Because, it's true - I've not yet had a situation where I went "Gee, I wish I didn't have a knife with me;" BUT - I've encountered countless times where someone else was grateful I carried one. 

And, while I've had a gamut of knives from youth til now, for the past (wait, carry the 2, no, that *can't* be right,) *mumble mumble* years it's been some flavor of "tactical" knife, typically from a certain few makers I respect and who have served the community well. Point-of-fact, my drawer of pointy things has drawn a raised eyebrow from She-Who-Tolerates-My-Antics more than once. . . 

Yet, let's be realistic. My days of "kicking doors and taking names" are past. I'm far more likely to deal with something from Amazon these days than battle an amazon. Sure, while a knife always has a last-ditch option - I'm at a point in life it's more likely to be a utility tool than anything else. 

All this sort of percolated through my head the other day as I was looking at things, and has led to a thought experiment. 

For the month of January, my primary knife carry is going to be a simple Swiss Army knife from my collection (Victorinox Ranger, for those who care). Because I'm more often doing utility things than anything else, I want to see if it makes any appreciable difference in my day. Yes, for hikes or other events I may add something else, but in general I want to force myself towards the utility rather than a single-focus blade. 

Of course, being me, it's not stock - but no "modifications" are crazy. I have some different grip scales on it, and a pocket clip, but that's it. The knife isn't "tactical" or "cool" or any other high speed thing. It's just a pocket knife with some decent tool accessories. 

May post updates or not, but I'm curious as to how it works out. 

Native Observations

This one will probably hit some buttons, or annoy others, but it's been sitting in my mind... So - I'm half Native-American (or, American Indian for those of my generation, or First Nations, or other names/labels for those who may care. Whatever. You get the point). In particular, from a Western mountain/high desert tribe, with our own particular cultural outlooks. BUT, I didn't grow up on the Rez (early exposure yes, but that wasn't "my" life), and the choices of my career and such have me living far from regions where there's a large Native presence. And - for most of the US, that's life - "Indians" are something in history books, not a day-to-day group you interact with, or people with their own history and culture. Doesn't mean I don't miss it... Anyway, what brought this on was travel over the past year, to a few different spots each having a much larger Native presence. And, in each, I felt a different "vibe" as it were towards my people. NOTE - THIS IS NOT DENIGRATING ANY GROUP OR PLACE, JUST MY PERSONAL IMPRESSION AND KINSHIP FEELINGS. For the one, I ended up in Alaska (first visit) - where, as soon as I was walking out through the airport I was mentally thinking "Wow, those are native, but they aren't *my* people..." It's hard to describe in a post, but it was distinct. While the people and the vibe were certainly indiginous, they weren't a group I felt kinship with, or that immediate connection. As in, they were certainly an integral part of the local community - *I* was the outsider, despite my background. The second? Upper midwest plains, near several large reservations. On the one hand, there were plenty of stores, a national park, and other things celebrating 'America's Native Heritage'; on the other? Drunk workers panhandling at 8am... a distinct "us vs. them" distance when groups co-mingled... a visible poverty-line difference in just a hundred yards of roadside travel between reservation and town land. It wasn't segregation, but there was absolutely a boundary between the groups. Third, I was in the southwest - milage wise closest to my home tribe, though culturally and ecosystem wise not as much. But? It was the only of the three I saw natives as "just there." People in Walmart. A few stores or shops. Someone with a sticker on a truck. While one part of me noticed the increased Indian presence compared to where I currently lived, the other part distinctly saw it as "not a big deal" as far as the local community was concerned. I'm not looking at any "assimilation/integration" questions on this, or trying to push any sort of agenda. Just more the fact I wanted to get my thoughts down on seeing the cultural mix in each area, rather than simply looking at proportions and demographics. And, if I wanted to, I could probably deep dive a number of thoughts regarding the makeup and history of each region. But... in the simplest answer. I think I'd rather end up where I'm "just another person" than one of the other options.

Happy New Year - 2023 Entry

A happy New Year to everyone out there. 

I, for one, am ending it better than I started. 

Challenges along the way, but great things too. 

Resolution? I need to not just write more, but *share* what I write. . . 

May this be the start. . .  

Independence Day

 In 1776 our founders set forth with a bold experiment - that government existed to serve the people, and not the reverse. 

There were some things that could have been better then. There have been mistakes along the way. We have drifted in many ways from that initial vision, sadly. 

But, consider the fact that to this day we are blessed enough to live in a nation that people will literally risk death to enter. Despite the challenges we face, we have freedoms and abundance which are unequaled in history.

May we strive to remember this, and to find our unity once again.