NaBloPoMo
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Why I Still Blog
This is a follow-up to yesterday’s post. Thank you to those who weighed in on the discussion in the comments. Suzanne made the important point that the popularity of your social media account or blog matters, which I agree with; I’m not commanding or seeking to command the heights of the attention economy. (Hopefully, that means I’m not petty and narcissistic?) I do find it helpful to think about why I blog and check in regularly with what’s motivating me. I don’t think all online publishing (or even most) online publishing is attention-seeking which is why I am still blogging. A major reason why I blog is for writing and…
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Public and Private
I had a blog before this one. Started when the kids were small, when personal blogs were more of a thing; I gradually posted less as the kids got older, and I went back and forth over privacy issues. Earlier this year, I finally decided there were too many posts to go through and individually make posts private, so I made the whole blog private and started this one. I still hadn’t decided exactly what would fill this space, and I probably haven’t yet landed on an answer to that question. The question came up again for me today as I read a post: Antivirals on the Convivial Society, discussing…
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This , then,
is the extravagant landscape of the world, given, given with pizzazz, given in good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over. Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
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A Parkrun Sandwich
I had limited time both mornings this weekend to fit in a long run, needing to be finished by 9:30 am. I considered this afternoon a possibility, but the forecast was for heavy rain and thunderstorms, so I decided it was this morning. Unfortunately, I slept badly last night and didn’t wake until 7:10 am. I got up, had a banana and a drink of water and quickly got dressed, but with all the road crossings around here, until I made it to clear track, I wouldn’t have time to get the distance in. I wanted to make good use of my time, so I decided on a Parkrun sandwich,…
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Kayaking in the Noosa Everglades
While up in Noosa earlier this year my daughter and I went on a kayaking trip through the Noosa Everglades. We had a beautiful day, even the lake was smooth as we made our way across to the river of mirrors. This is probably one of the best ways to experience the everglades as it is quiet, and we were able to experience a perfect mirror in some parts. At times the reflections were disorientating. The Noosa Everglades are only one of two everglades in the world, the other one is in Florida. Since it is too far south for crocodiles it is safe to kayak and swim, although it…
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Gut Feeling
I’m an INTJ on the Myer-Briggs personality scale to the endless amusement of my kids, who love to point out that this is the super-villain personality. My reply to this is that everyone has a choice to use their powers for good or evil. Anyway, this means that I prioritise thinking, especially rational arguments, over feelings when making decisions. I sometimes also get frustrated when others seem to be ruled by their feelings to their own detriment. I noticed over the last few years that I seem to be making more decisions based on “gut feeling,” which was strange given my commitment to rational arguments. I thought maybe I was…
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Critical Theory and Christianity
I was listening to an episode of Undeceptions about Critical Theory last week, and I was reminded again of the incongruity of people who identify as Christian, reflexively dismissing theories that “aim to explain and transform all the circumstances that enslave human beings.” I could understand if the objection was that only Christ could complete that sort of transformation or that some positions are too extreme, but there seems to be resistance in many circles to acknowledge that these theories reveal truths about societal structures that oppress people. The Bible has its own way of presenting a critique of culture. From Genesis, where the cosmological myths of the surrounding cultures are critiqued…
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Tools of the Trade
For a number of years, I used a bullet journal to look after my calendar, to-do list, journal and notes. I did enjoy having everything all in one little book, so You could see all the parts of your life juxtaposed against each other. Later I moved to a travellers notebook, so I didn’t need to draw up the calendar/planner sections. Finally, I switched mainly to digital tools a couple of years ago. Here are some tools and resources that I currently use. WORK: PERSONAL ORGANISATION: JOURNAL: FAITH: READING: NOTE-TAKING: WRITING: RECIPES: RUNNING: PHOTOGRAPHY: Do you favour analog or digital tools or a mix of both?
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5 Vegetarian Recipes
Over the last year or so we have gradually increased the number of nights we eat vegetarian. We also have the added complication that my middle child can’t tolerate a lot of dairy and our oldest doesn’t eat mushrooms. This last quarter I’ve been trying out many different recipes to find the best ones I’ll keep in our recipe rotation. We had a number of dishes we won’t be making again due to lack of flavour or being too fiddly. Here are five that made the cut:
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What I Love About Our New Neighbourhood
We have always lived in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, but I have always loved being near the ocean, and we didn’t want to do the full sea change thing; I still love the city, so we decided to move bayside. We bought an apartment off the plan and have been renting 500m from the site for the last year so we could settle into the neighbourhood. Things I love about our new neighbourhood: 1. The bay is just at the end of our street, only 500m from our apartment. We walk and run along the beach path most days. Bonus: the city is still a short train or car…