Green Oasis

Five Things

2009-07-06T20:53:43Z

I am grateful for…

… a helpful highway patrolman who stopped and lent me a lug wrench to change the flat tire that I had on the way to work.
… the color green.
… the opportunity to make choices.
… a good night’s rest.
… the opportunity to be a father.

Five Things

2009-04-27T18:46:16Z

I am grateful for…

… the chance that I’ve had to get to know my wife.
… the renewed knowledge that sleep is important. I haven’t made sleep a priority this weekend, and it shows. I’m grateful that I’m aware enough of that to take correction.
… the chance that I have every day to take walks while at work.
… the relationship that I have with my daughters so far. May I continue to nurture it.
… my ability to learn new things.

Five Things

2009-04-20T19:10:51Z

I am grateful…

… to be alive and healthy.
… to have a best friend.
… for the generosity of strangers who donate their time for free culture projects. I use so many free tools every day (e.g. I manage this blog with free software), I won’t attempt to list them.
… for museums and libraries and other local institutions that bring the best of culture to us.
… to have clean food and water.

Five Things

2009-04-13T15:20:21Z

I am grateful…

… for birdsong and mown grass in the morning.
… for music.
… to be healthy and alive.
… for culture, the vehicle of human nature, wisdom, and values.
… to have a place in my little family.

Evidence Based Medicine

2009-04-09T23:07:48Z

Three of us in my family have been suffering with coughs. Did you know that cough syrup has been shown not to work? Or that antibiotics do nothing for common infections which usually clear up on their own? (via Lone Gunman)

Who should you fear?

2009-04-09T18:06:25Z

Who should you fear the most? Who will probably kill you in the end? Is it a Muslim terrorist? An “ethnic” thug you see on the street? A meth addict burglarizing your home?

Someone hundreds of times more dangerous lurks uncomfortably close to you and your loved ones, someone who works every day to bring about your early death.

Who is this homicidal person? The answer is you. (via Schneier on Security)

Five Things

2009-04-06T17:05:27Z

I am grateful for …

… shelter from the elements. My relationship with the weather is much better knowing that I can get some me-time away from it.
… beautiful vernal weather. (+25 points for using a vocabulary word)
… a healthy mind. I realize something of how fragile that is.
… a long weekend with my family.
… that I am capable of thinking for myself and that I do so on occasion.

Kate’s Story

2009-03-07T00:41:42Z

Kate lived through what must be some people’s worst nightmare. She was diagnosed as suffering from persistent vegetative state but retained enough awareness to understand the people around her and to feel pain and distress because of how they were treating her. Neuroscientists scanned her brain activity and found normal activity levels, something they had not imagined they would find. She has since returned to a communicative state and says her story is about never giving up hope.

(via Mind Hacks)

Five Things

2009-02-23T21:16:55Z

I’m grateful for …

… the chance to find a companion with whom I can share each day of my life, who has the strength and flexibility to stick with me through thick and thin.
… the opportunity to work with computers. I had no idea early in life that I would become a computer geek, but here I am.
… the chance to watch two brilliant girls grow up.
… a headache that seems like it will only last half of Monday.
… a job (perhaps I should leave it at that, but I’m also thankful for a job …) that lets me get up and take a walk when my brain gets fried.

Five Things

2009-02-17T05:24:03Z

I am grateful…

… for human culture, the heritage passed on so that each generation doesn’t need to start from scratch.
… for three day weekends to catch up on stuff I want or need to do.
… for the ability to forgive myself when I don’t measure up to my hopes for myself.
… that I’m still exercising.
… for the fascinating knowledge that we’ve obtained about our origins as a species.