In reading a few other blogs lately, Stoicism has come up a few times, and I’m seeing it in a few books I’ve been reading lately too. Maybe it’ll stick this time. In Robin Hanson’s blog discussing why middle aged people are most pessimistic, I suggested that maybe it’s a
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A Puff of Absurdity: The Lasting Influence of Rhoda Morgenstern
I just saw that the house featured in the Mary Tyler Moore show is up for sale. And I’ve been thinking about how much I was influenced by the character of Rhoda. I used to wait for the few minutes she’d be on screen each episode. I’m sure I’m not
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: Climate Change as an Asteroid
Over the break, I got a Kindle app for my Macbook (free!) when I realized I could wait for morning to go to Wordsworth to get one of Paul Krugman’s books, or get it right that second and start reading. Immediate rewards are very motivating. The book outlines the diminishing
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: On RESPs, EAPs, Grants, Gains, and Morons
Okay, maybe “moron” is a little harsh. I just finished a painful conversation with a banker. We argued for over an hour before he asked a superior and conceded that I actually know what I’m talking about. Here’s the deal… ETA (Jan 10) – Okay, wait! The following shouldn’t have
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: A Crisis of Environmentalist Faith
A couple of sentences from Matthew Altman (from “The Green Onion“) have been weighing on me for days: Ironically, environmentalism itself can become a means of advancing our own selfish interests, as when we barely adjust our lifestyles in order to feel a disproportionately strong sense of smugness….If a well-intentioned
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: Thanks for the Contract, Laurel!
In a cab ride yesterday, I happened to catch Laurel Broten on the radio explaining how necessary it was to first deny teachers’ right to negotiate, then impose a contract, and then repeal bill 115 to make the teachers happy again, all to help decrease the insane provincial deficit. What
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: On Being a Mean Mum (and Defining Bullying)
“He cut Charlie’s ear, and he’s driving him nuts! Water won’t hurt him; it will just remind him to stay off our porch.” “You know what you just cut, mom? The line that connects us. You are not my mother anymore in three…two….one. That’s it. We’re over.” My eight-year-old is
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