The only way to precisely engineer a wood fire is to pelletize the wood, to crush and grind and homogenize it. Short of that, each piece of wood is unique, and building and maintaining a fire from those pieces takes at least as much art as engineering. Read more
Daniel Penny, whether he acted reasonably and killed by accident or recklessly and committed manslaughter, was merely the randomly-chosen final mechanism of Neely's death, set up by a system dedicated to cruelty and profit rather than human well-being. Read more
As if to fit that mood, there was trash dumped in my old playground, and the hill was overgrown with brambles. But also amidst the weeds were a few small cherry trees, in full blossom. Read more
How do we eulogize people who were difficult to others and to themselves? And how do we, as Pagan folk, perform death rites, especially for those of ambiguous spirituality and for an interfaith gathering? Read more
But right now I'm tempted to consider whether putting unglamorous photos of dead alcoholics up on liquor store walls might help restrain excess. I wish that I could flash those minutes into the brains of those struggling with sobriety, for motivation, a "Don't Let This Happen To You" public service announcement. Read more
American society is dis-integrating, becoming disconnected. That's killing people. It's urgent that we find ways to "assemble", in the sense of "come together". Read more
It's useless to judge a candle that gets blown out in the wind; my job is to relight it. And perhaps practicing that on the night of the Solstice will help me take that attitude into other parts of my life. Read more
I am fairly certain that, should my life ever be judged by the gods, these questions will be a hell of a lot more important than my take on how elves in a TV series should look. So, please: let's not extend our culture war into the afterlife. Read more
My father is five years dead, and his death was a great blow. But I recovered from that, and the experience transformed my relationship with all of my ancestors, maybe setting my life on a whole new path. Read more
Netflix's adaption of Neil Gaiman's Sandman is...okay. Good, but not as excellent as it might have been. There are some A+ elements, but there are some things that should have been better, flaws ranging from the aggravating to the disappointing. It averages out to perhaps a B+ Read more
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