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We seemed to both receive a fair number of games as well as purchase a fair number for each other as gifts this Christmas. Therefore, through no real planning for this on any of our parts, it would seem that playing more games has become an unspoken family resolution for the coming year. Here’s a smattering of what we’ve played, or plan to soon, so far…

• Exploding Kittens — We’ve had lots of fun playing this as a family. The object is to strategically stay in the game. Once you get an exploding kitten, and have no way to diffuse it, you’re out.

• Sushi Go — We played this yesterday at a New Years Day party with some friends. They got it for Christmas and brought it with them to the party. it was a bit confusing at first but, once you understand the rules and play a round or two you realize it’s got a fascinating bit of strategy involved, is fast paced, and just a little bit crazy-making. That said, I liked it a lot and will likely be buying our own set in the future.

• Forbidden Island — We’ve not played this yet but I got it for Bethany for Christmas (it was on her list) and it came with very rave reviews from someone who’s board game knowledge I trust. I’m told that part of what makes this one interesting is that players actually work collaboratively during game play towards a mutual objective, as opposed to competitively. I’m looking forward to breaking this one open as a family soon.

• Cards Against Humanity — We actually never owned this and I myself have not played it (though my wife has). I got her the Cards Against Humanity Saves America package earlier in the month so I figured having the original was a must. Looking forward to my chance to finally play it.

• Ravensburger Labyrinth— This is one Beatrix and I enjoyed playing at a game night my favorite local bookstore hosts. A good one for Beatrix’s age range. I plan on purchasing it for ourselves at some point in the near future.

• Trash — This is a game played with a standard deck of cards that my daughter Beatrix taught me how to play and we’ve played it a few times since. She really loves it. It’s what she’s playing with her friend who’s visiting right now as a type this. It’s been a nice Daddy/Daughter pastime with her.

As someone who has not played board or card games regularly for years, it’s been a welcome and fun way to spend time as a family over the holiday break.

I’ve been doing some thinking about how I wish to approach and improve my reading plan for the year. I would like to see if I can increase the number of books I read in a year (which averages around 15) and broaden that which I read. I’m still ruminating and formulating but here are some ideas I have to make this happen so far…

• Read more paperback books, specifically mass-market sized ones. The books you read are the books you can easily bring with you. And, especially in the winter months here, every coat I own has large enough pockets to easily slip one in.

• Replace boredom with books. In the check out line, in the waiting room, while my daughter is in her classes. Assuming I’m good about having a book within easy reach per above, I’ll fill these sorts of times with reading one.

• Bias towards fiction. If you look over my reading list of the past several years, you’ll notice I tend to bias towards non-fiction. The reason is that I’m a curious learner and reading non-fiction fuels that. That said, every time I do read a fiction book for escape and entertainment, I always feel like i should do so more often but then fall back into my habits. The truth is, I read fiction a lot faster and enjoy the escape when I allow it. Therefore, I’m going to intentionally bias towards it and see what happens.

• Read more classics (including ones I’ve read and would like to read again). Not the least of the reason being that many of these are easily available in a smaller, mass-market size where recent paperback are less so (in general, these are trade-sized).

So, that’s what I’ve got for now. I’ll show up with more ideas when/if they come to me. If I could say nothing else of value at the end of this year, I’d like to say it was a good year for reading. I already feel like this will be that.

Having had a late night last night, this morning had us getting a later start than hoped. The plan was to have brunch at a local restaurant to start off the new year. My wife Bethany and I were up and going well before Beatrix awoke.

Once she did wake up, she was expecting her normal morning routine but, this would have made us late for brunch. Therefore, we had to shorten her routine and hurry her along in getting dressed. Beatrix began to get a bit grumpy because of this, which in turn made a hangry Bethany begin to lose it. Thus, in order to stop the impending explosion of feelings, I made the following declaration:

“There will be no anger, grumpiness, frustration, or other bad feelings today. This is not how any of us wish to start the new year. This is not how any of us wish for those we love to start the new year. We have a nice day ahead and a nice day is exactly how we wish to start the new year. Therefore, we will figure out how to get beyond whatever stands in the way of that.”

We had a lovey brunch. We got a few things done at home then ventured off to tour our beautiful, recently restored, State Capitol Building (free guided tours daily). Next up we have a couple of more traditional New Years Day gatherings to attend filled with friends and neighbors. We have some bold plans and bright visions for the year ahead.

So far, my declaration is holding.

Should it be a success, I may begin tomorrow by announcing, “There will be no anger, grumpiness, frustration, or other bad feelings today. This is not how any of us wish to start the second day of new year…”

Once, we were Explorers. We used a web browser called Navigator. Alta Vista, Lycos, and Yahoo! were the maps. With these we discovered new worlds and, sometimes, even more about the world we were in.

We called it surfing because the web was an ocean; vast and limitless as far as the eye could see from the shore of one’s sandy colored monitor. It was a bit scary, at first. You weren’t quite certain where it would take you. But, you knew just beyond the horizon was probably something you wanted to know about, all you had to do was get in the boat and set sail.

Just over the crest of the next wave might be something weird or wonderful or useful. We grabbed the rudder and steered straight for it. There, just down the footpath, might be the home of a friendly stranger with some good news or a rollicking tale. We quickened our pace.

Each new place we landed had paths to follow to more new places. Sometimes there was a map. Other times, a signpost. One could spend a whole day or several following the markers — links to the deep beyond. Ideas led to more ideas. The people you met along the way would often point you in the direction of other places you should go and others you should meet. You always stopped to ask; It’s how you found the good stuff.

Some of us became inspired and we decided to create little places of our own. We invited visitors to come and have a conversation. I’d throw out a topic or idea and we’d discuss it in the comments or via email. You didn’t have to worry about strangers coming in and picking a fight because you were lucky if more than twenty folks even knew you existed. Also, people respected that this was your place and, if they didn’t like it, they’d get back in the boat they sailed in on, go back, and start a place of their own.

I found fellow explorers on these travels. People with common interests. I think of people I met in those days. People I still know today. I consider them kin, those fellow wanderers. I discovered plenty of people I had no common cause with as well. It’s OK, we nodded acknowledgement as we passed. The world and this mighty ocean was big enough for all.

Now, too many no longer explore. They sit on the shore and wait for bottled messages to float right to their feet. They don’t question where the bottles come from, who wrote the messages, or why they always seem to tell them what they want to hear. They simply pick them up, read them, discard them, and believe they’ve travelled somewhere and learned something. They sit back down and wait for another bottle to arrive. They never go beyond the shallow water. Maximum depth to them is where you can still see the shore.

Not for me. I sail out and sail out and sail some more. Until there is nothing but water all around me. Because, I know that if I choose any direction, and cut a straight line, I’ll reach something different than here, something I wouldn’t have known even existed. Heck, perhaps I’ll get out there, drop sail, and let the current take me. But, anything is better than sitting on the shore only ever believing every message that floats my way. That’s not how we’re built. That’s not who we are.

We are Explorers. I choose to explore.

I was at a local Five Guys having a cheeseburger. It was mid afternoon; therefore, off peak. I was alone at a four top. Two young women were having a pleasant conversation at the table just in front of me. We were the only ones there when I arrived.

About two bites into my burger, a rowdy group of teens came in — about ten of them. They got their food and proceeded to crowd around the table next to the women. They were generally creating a ruckus. Loud, boisterous, throwing french fries at each other, and generally being teens. They chowed down their food and exited rather quickly, certainly before either the women or I were finished. In their wake, they left a table full of half eaten food and garbage. It was like a tornado blew though and touched down just in that particular spot.

The women, clearly annoyed, finished their lunch. They got up to clear their table and dispose of their garbage at the can near the door. Then, without missing a beat, they causually turned their attention to the mess the teens had made and cleaned that up too. They left just as casually after,

They didn’t have to do that. It wasn’t their responsibility. Though it was a pain in the ass, the employees would have taken care of it. The women could have just minded their own mess.

But they didn’t. They saw a thing that needed doing and they did it. They did it because it was the nice thing to do. They stepped up to the responsibility caused by their less responsible neighbors. They didn’t ask for or seek thanks or recognition. They silently dealt with the problem and moved on with their day.

Not-my-jobism is a disease. These women, and the actions and compassion they showed that day, are the cure.

The GreenMade InstaCrate Collapsible Crate is one of the best purchases I’ve made in the past year. I picked up two at Costco and threw one in the back of each car. They’ve come in handy for all sorts of things.Those times you may need to carry a bunch of loose items or maybe you have a couple of grocery bags, a bottle of wine, and some beer — pop this up and throw them in here. They fold down flat when not in use so they take up little space so just keeping one where you need it is of no issue. We use ours several times a week.

This would likely make a great gift; one of those “why didn’t I have one of these sooner” sort of purchases. You can get them at Amazon but the identical ones I bought were $7.99 each at Costco when I got them. So, it may be worth look there if you happen to have one near.

Be very wary of any numbers given out without the data behind them…

73% of Americans believe…

One in three people support…

This affects one in every ten…

How did they arrive at that figure? How many people did they survey? What was the actual question asked? Was there A/B testing across a variety of different groups? Where were those people from? Was there a mix of rural and urban? Was it diverse racially and income wise? Unless you and all of your neighbors were polled, be wary; the numbers are a guess in the best light or pure propaganda in the worst.

Numbers are often used to sway and influence opinion and it is especially true when the data behind them, the math, is purposefully opaque. The news media, politicians, professionals, companies, and even fellow citizens do this all the time. They know that people, in general, like our beliefs validated and like being with the "winners". Therefore, if I say a high ratio of some such thing want some other such thing, people will be swayed to include themselves in that "winning" number.

Worse, even if the math behind the numbers is included freely, we the people often don’t bother checking it. We accept it at face value. This is dangerous and foolish and as good as not having the data at all.

Stop this. Always question the numbers. Ask for the data. Get the facts. Check the math.

This site, along with several others I manage, was recently the victim of an attack that injected redirection code throughout my WordPress installation. Thus resulting in visitors to the site being redirected to all manner of scammy/scummy websites. A mess I’m still trying to clean up on most of my sites (for instance, patrickrhone-dot-com is still not fixed).

I believe one of the reasons these sites were an attractive target was due to the fact that so many of them had not been posted to in several months. Thanks to my nonline sabbatical I’d let them go fallow. Thus, it likely looked like no one cared.

But, I do care… A lot! Especially about this place. Of all the places I stopped publishing on, this is the one I missed the most. And, strangely enough to me at least, of all of the sites I wrote and maintained, this one was the newest of the bunch.

But, I liked what I started to build here before taking my break. A microblog before I’d even heard the term. POSSE (Publish (on your) Own Site, Syndicate Elsewhere) before I knew that was a “thing”. But, most of all, a place where I could feel comfortable posting an idea or essay of any length and not let the wholly self-imposed guilt of something only a few words long being a “real” blog post get in the way of pressing publish.

I’ll be honest; things are really kind of rough for me these days. I’ll be spending all day, every day, in a courtroom for at least the next couple of weeks. I don’t want to get into the details too deeply right now but my eldest child is on trial for a serious charge. I have to be there to support that. Then my evenings are packed with all I can’t currently get through during the days.

That is to say that I’m working as best I can to get everything cleaned up and my sites back functioning again but it is very slow going. At least this one seems OK (The Cramped does as well).

This is also to say that I’m weighing ending my sabbatical and posting here more frequently so this place looks the way it should — lived in and loved.

As of March 4, 2017 I’ve stopped all online publishing. This includes my websites and social media accounts. No blog posts, no tweets, no status updates. I’m nonline. I expect this to last at least a year. In that time, I’ll be writing. My goal for that writing is to become a book.

My newsletter, being email, will be my primary means of communication with folks “out there” (that’s you). I will continue to share occasional and infrequent updates, thoughts, and missives there along with information about the project and how you can pre-order the book when done.

The Begging Bowl

The Begging Bowl (or sometimes referred to as a Alms Bowl or Monk’s Bowl) is one of the few possessions a Buddhist Monk has. It is a practical object, used as a bowl in which to collect alms (either money or food) from lay supporters. Many monks rely solely on the kindness and generosity of others to survive.

This is my bowl…

As of March 4, 2017 I’ve stopped all online publishing. In my own way, I’ve gone into solitude and trusting my continued sustenance into the hands of those that wish to support my efforts. Here are ways to fill my bowl:

• Consider a one time free will donation of any amount.
• Consider a regular donation at a level that feels comfortable to you.

Other ways to fill my bowl…

• Buy my books.
• A gift from my Amazon Wishlist will always be welcome.
• An email to patrick@patrickrhone.com with kind words or friendly conversation is always appreciated.

Extending one’s bowl takes a tremendous amount of trust in both directions. The monastic trusts that there are those that wish to make a small donation to support their practice and the giver trusts they’ll have something of value to give back to the world upon return — this is the basis of karma.

As of March 4, 2017 I’ve stopped all online publishing. This includes my websites and social media accounts. No blog posts, no tweets, no status updates. I’m nonline. I expect this to last at least a year. In that time, I’ll be writing. My goal for that writing is to become a book.
My newsletter, being email, will be my primary means of communication with folks “out there” (that’s you). I will continue to share occasional and infrequent updates, thoughts, and missives there along with information about the project and how you can pre-order the book when done.

The Begging Bowl

The Begging Bowl (or sometimes referred to as a Alms Bowl or Monk’s Bowl) is one of the few possessions a Buddhist Monk has. It is a practical object, used as a bowl in which to collect alms (either money or food) from lay supporters. Many monks rely solely on the kindness and generosity of others to survive.
This is my bowl…
As of March 4, 2017 I’ve stopped all online publishing. In my own way, I’ve gone into solitude and trusting my continued sustenance into the hands of those that wish to support my efforts. Here are ways to fill my bowl:

• Consider a one time free will donation of any amount.
• Consider a regular donation at a level that feels comfortable to you.

Other ways to fill my bowl…

• Buy my books.
• A gift from my Amazon Wishlist will always be welcome.
• An email to patrick@patrickrhone.com with kind words or friendly conversation is always appreciated.

Extending one’s bowl takes a tremendous amount of trust in both directions. The monastic trusts that there are those that wish to make a small donation to support their practice and the giver trusts they’ll have something of value to give back to the world upon return — this is the basis of karma.