Simple Complexities

The Opponent's Craziness: it's a trap!

2012-01-26T08:56:00.001-08:00

The lure of the irrational is made magnetic when we allow ourselves to be fooled into thinking there is some sense to be found in it.

Character Shaping

2011-12-20T11:31:00.000-08:00

Times of change can be stressful because we have to discern what we've learned that should be kept what we can let go of. The tactics we learn through the process education can help us make these distinctions, but it's still tough to make changes we're not ready for, because we're fine-shaping our character when we weren't planning on concentrating that hard.

Expanded Horizon

2011-12-13T17:06:00.000-08:00

They say the camera adds ten pounds. I'd say the internet adds about thirty.

It's not that we "think too much" it's that we're onto something

2011-10-24T11:06:00.001-07:00

Artists analyze to synthesize to entertain and enlighten!

Wisdom for Writers: Boundaries

2011-10-12T07:16:00.000-07:00

Remember: a writer-for-hire does as asked and by trade this involves imagining what might be going on inside the client's head. But: she's not responsible for what may actually be in there.

Genuine

2011-05-26T06:54:00.000-07:00

Knowing the bigger story makes every reflected detail more genuine.

Buddhas Everywhere

2011-03-29T07:12:00.000-07:00

I have little Buddhas all through my house because they are more pleasant to look at than signs that read, "Remain Calm."

Pronunciation of Frozen Dessert

2011-03-24T07:18:00.000-07:00

Herbert or Hubert,
Sherbert or Sherbet,
Shubert or Sorbet:
Sherbet is Sherbet!

It's Not the Entity, it's Us.

2011-03-18T17:30:00.000-07:00

For the literalists:

The *devil can't exist unless we do his bidding.

For the figurativists:

If we do no *evil, there can be no evil.

*Natural disasters are not included as the devil or evil, they're just nature doing what it does regardless of where we try to live. What is "the work of the devil" or "evil" is the greed that motivates us to try to dominate nature.

Think or be Thought!

2011-03-15T17:15:00.001-07:00

Troubling news: don't think about it, it claims your subconscious.
Troubling news: think about it and come to terms. Maybe you can make it better.

How to Shift Away from National Blame

2011-03-08T06:54:00.000-08:00

Democracy means we're all in charge. That means we all have to take responsiblity, 'cause even if we don't, we're still in charge.

Conundrum of the Blues

2011-03-03T09:48:00.000-08:00

Don't mistake circumstantial misery for clinical depression. And careful: don't mistake clinical depression for circumstantial misery. This is the conundrum of the blues.

Weakly Cynics

2011-01-26T07:06:00.000-08:00

Dismissal of hope is the bastion of the desperate.

Look Again

2011-01-05T09:41:00.001-08:00

Don't underestimate the power of whimsy.

Abundance is a Generality

2011-01-02T16:16:00.000-08:00

More is always better if sometimes less is more.

To Send or Not to Send

2010-12-17T07:37:00.000-08:00

The temptation to get the last word in a fight via email is the attempt of the ego to have you all to itself.

A Lark

2010-12-06T17:26:00.001-08:00

Don't underestimate the power of whimsy.

don't throw out the baby with the bathwater

2010-11-29T09:49:00.000-08:00

The qualities of personality that make us crazy are just waiting to be dog-whispered into workable talents.

Mental Statesmanship

2010-11-23T17:28:00.000-08:00

No fair driving yourself crazy!

Living in a Social World

2010-11-01T11:54:00.000-07:00

You can't run the world like a business because societies are more complex than fiscal entities, and people are not products.

Existence and Existentialism

2010-10-04T09:42:00.001-07:00

"Wow," said the chimp to the robot, "It must be so easy to get through life without any feelings to get in the way." The robot said, "I think therefore I am; and that's all I got."

Rust Becomes the Wheel

2010-09-19T01:45:00.001-07:00

Our culture desensitizes us to the concept of wasting time.

Out of the Frying Pan

2010-09-17T13:38:00.001-07:00

Don't ever fool yourself into thinking you can solve any relationship problem by sending an email.

Hot Air

2010-09-16T09:18:00.001-07:00

If someone's trying to intimidate you it means they're bluffing.

The Known and the Unknown

2010-09-10T17:14:00.000-07:00

You can't un-know someone.

Life's Investigations

2010-09-08T06:57:00.000-07:00

Leave no stone unturned except the ones you don't want to touch, can't lift, or haven't yet discovered.

Mean People Suck

2010-09-03T15:10:00.001-07:00

Beware of those in your life who are mean to others. Eventually, they will be mean to you.

That Fine Line Gets Fat Sometimes

2010-08-20T17:37:00.001-07:00

If you're lucky, you'll find it's a lot harder to be mediocre than it is to be very clever

The Examined Life

2010-08-12T07:07:00.000-07:00

Anybody who hasn't had at least one crisis of faith hasn't been paying attention.

And My Heart Beats So...

2010-08-06T06:44:00.000-07:00

Arguing about the afterlife is like bickering over what the weather is going to be like before you've even stepped outside.

It Calls for Understanding

2010-07-23T16:29:00.000-07:00

"It is what it is" = "I don't want to talk about what matters to you right now."

Imprints

2010-07-22T07:47:00.000-07:00

We become what we do, as individuals and as a species.

Way Out: Way Home

2010-07-21T17:18:00.000-07:00

The opposite of existential angst is found in the slight upward curve of the smile on a sleeping puppy.

Beauty, Eye of Beholder, All That

2010-07-07T11:57:00.000-07:00

The true test of the quality of poetry
is whether it's still
any good
after the
breakup.

(Cringing she reads his.)
(Flummoxed she reads hers
then turns to a book on
neuroscience).

Take What You Need and Leave the Rest

2010-07-06T06:21:00.000-07:00

The notion that "today is the first day of the rest of your life!" is nightmarish. What the hell was yesterday all about then?

Nothing Static

2010-07-04T18:19:00.000-07:00

Whether one sees the glass as half empty or half full depends on whether it is in the process of being emptied or filled up.

Aw, C'mon, Get Wise

2010-06-24T06:34:00.000-07:00

There is always room for doubt. Whether it is useful to the circumstance requires a balance of subjectivity, objectivity, critical thinking and compassion. The development of wisdom is ongoing.

Obstacle or Angel?

2010-06-15T17:19:00.001-07:00

Sometimes the slow moving vehicle in front of you is an obstacle, sometimes it's an angel. To know the difference, you have to be in the present moment.

From Hip to Shop

2010-05-07T09:33:00.000-07:00

Today's "edgy" is tomorrow's corporate marketing tool.

Slim to None

2010-04-28T09:51:00.001-07:00

Need to lose a quick five pounds? Simply don't put your pants in the dryer!

See Saw Seen Sun Son Sonny Sorry

2010-04-21T06:49:00.000-07:00

One marched so far to the right he fell off. The other marched so far to the left he fell off. Whipped thru the universe by various gravitational pulls, they flew thousands of light years and into a black hole. Still, they natter and anti-natter.

Micro ro ro your boat

2010-04-11T14:48:00.001-07:00

Inside everything is something more.

Shared Info Set Free

2010-03-11T17:20:00.001-08:00

Remember: anyone is everyone on the internet. What you post roams the world forever (or falls through the slats of the matrix onto the floor of the universe).

Healthy Humors

2010-03-03T05:16:00.000-08:00

A sense of humor is a happiness generator. Everyone should have one!

Viva la Soul

2010-02-19T18:17:00.000-08:00

Do not get attached to other people’s emotions. Empathy builds character; codependence is a soul killer.

Vocabulary!

2010-01-12T11:13:00.001-08:00

Love means never having to use emoticons.

Do You Hear What I Hear?

2009-12-21T09:53:00.000-08:00

Good listening sets a rhythm for conversation that inspires you to hum the tune on the way home.

from there to here

2009-12-04T14:30:00.001-08:00

With every enlightened thought, we gain a tiny measure more of a heavenlike existence and live slightly less in the hellish.

Holiday Harmony

2009-12-01T17:24:00.001-08:00

Remember: The holiday season tends to bring out little crises in people, so it's not a good idea to voluntarily complicate anything.

Simple Complexities: Starting Here

2009-10-04T16:16:00.000-07:00

It's easier to get ahead if you already have one.