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Category: thought

If in my last post one were to replace the word “ICE” with “SS” and an obviously Jewish name with an obviously Latino one and imagined him being put on a train instead of a plane…

There is no difference.

Think on that.

We all imagined what we would have done if we lived there then.

We live there now.

I watched a young man get snatched by ICE outside yoga this morning. I filmed the whole thing.

His name is Lucio Fabian Navos Nietos.

I know this because they just left his passport and all other identification in his car. And left his car.

They don’t care who he is. They will deport him anyway.

My word(s) for 2026

Adjust and Adapt

This year will bring much change to my life. So much of my time revolts around household support and Beatrix logistics. Once she’s off to college my life will need to become much different. Just one example of how I will need to be guided by these words.

A frequently told joke among Minnesotans, and those in the Twin Cities especially, is that every time someone tries to leave or move somewhere else they always come back.

It’s true for me. For my wife. For anyone I know who’s tried.

We love it here. Leaving only makes us love it more.

Over the years of hunting down the true tools, I have noticed a pattern among the those that earn their place: they offer simplicity and reliability. These are not gadgets promising to revolutionise your life through complexity. They are not systems requiring elaborate maintenance or steep learning curves. They are foundational tools and habits that quietly-and without fuss-ease daily life.

— Nicholas Bate, The Tools of Excellence: Seventy Devices, Concepts or Strategies which enable Brilliance, Easily.

I’m still stuck on the wonder that we can get turn by turn directions almost anywhere on the planet for any mode of transportation available to us including our feet!

Way more amazing and useful to me than anything AI currently offers.

Thought: In this day and age, lack of confidence in one’s ability to do anything is really just a manifestation of fear. All of the world’s knowledge is available to us in just a few clicks. You can learn anything you don’t know. If you have the time, energy, and desire, you can do it.

Your regular reminder: A phone is a tool. A tool should have rules.

Your circular saw has rules. (Safety glasses advised)

Your mower has them (Hands and feet away from the blade when operating).

Your how/when/where you use your phone should have them too.