Dear Sirs, As I’m sure you’re all aware, gas prices are currently at record highs. The president is asking for a three-month federal gas tax holiday to try to help. The proposal would save the average driver $0.18 per gallon, and diesel drivers $0.24 per gallon. This proposal is a huge mistake and I want…
I’ve had a long running debate with myself whether Lincoln was right to fight the War Between the States. Part of me feels like what was the free states would have been better off if they just let the slave states go. Another part of me worries about the humanitarian nightmare that would have resulted…
There’s one lie/myth/misconception that I hate. It’s the idea that mental illness causes/boosts/enhances creativity. It’s common to the point of insidiousness. People think that those with mental illness are more creative than those without as if there’s some kind of causal link. This article in Aeon talks about how the connection is far from scientific…
This post was inspired by my friend Kerri. In May, I wrote a post about Mental Health Awareness Week. It was kind of a jokey post about how I’m trying to have a conversation about mental health, and I didn’t even know there was a week, or a month, set aside for it. I said…
I, like many people, go grocery shopping weekly. For years, I’ve spent $60ish each week to feed myself, my kid, and supply my home. I went grocery shopping yesterday and it totaled over $100. I didn’t buy more than usual or anything unusual. It was my normal $60 trip except I had to pay an…
I’m officially an old man. I have a fairly new hobby; I started it last fall. I set up bird feeders in my yard and now I enjoy watching the birds that visit my feeders. I used to have a neighbor that fed birds. I always appreciated seeing them as I went out my back…
I recently had to teach a unit on Lord of the Flies by William Golding. I first read the book back in high school, my junior year, I think. I remember thinking it was fine but not really my style. Even back then, I fundamentally disagreed with Golding’s views on human nature. Rereading it now,…
Over the weekend, a bipartisan framework for “gun safety” legislation was announced. It contains four things that probably won’t make any substantive difference but are better than nothing: Encouraging states to adopt “Red Flag” laws, closing the “boyfriend loophole”, enhancing the review process for buyers under 21, and clarifying what it means to be a…
There’s a symptom of my depression that I never hear anyone talk about. Depression has completely destroyed my confidence. And it’s not just during a depressive episode. I lack confidence even when I’m feeling good. This is a fairly recent development, in the last ten years or so. It dates to just before I was…
A few weeks ago, I wrote this piece: Getting Help | Nutmegger Daily – Quality writing on many topics. It talks about the labyrinth people need to run from feeling bad to getting treatment. At the end, I mentioned that I was just scratching the surface. Today I want to talk about a different frustrating…
