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Starting Over



Reboot of the Blog

I'm winding down my Facebook use. That whole destruction of democracy thing weighs on my soul. I know that it's probably impossible to give it up completely. Social media is like oxygen in our disconnected society as well as the general precarity of our jobs. But I am committed to using it less and less and definitely not getting my politics and news from it. So, I'm going to bring this blog back and start using it to corral some of the things that I am reading and share them out. I'll probably set up an email list too for anyone who's interested. I'm sorry that we're having to go back to walled gardens, but between foreign disinformation, surveillance capitalism and generally more challenges to social media use, it's going to have to happen. Even this blog content itself is product that someone is monetizing. I'm going to start using some of this extra time I'm now blessed with to explore alternatives to "free" blogs and email lists (and social networks). I'd love to hear ideas if you have them. 

For now, I'm going to put together some sort of unifying theme to what I'm thinking about, and what I've come across in the past week to share. At the very bottom, I'll layer in some self-defense and general fitness resources that have popped up as well.

I really need to shut up more and listen to other people. At work and in personal relationships, nothing has been more impactful than when I really pay attention and demonstrate that I have heard someone. 

I'm sorry about using a YouTube link up above. Some people are getting PTSD from working there as content moderators. 

I never realized the carbon footprint of email. This may mean I have to back off of my dislike for Slack, but I wish there was an etiquette police for it. This is a good start. And dammit, if you ask me for something in Slack, please acknowledge that you received it. No thanks necessary, just a thumbs up is enough.

I'm not apologizing for him, but it can be really tough for anyone to run for president without people remembering all the really dumb things they have done in their lives, and Andrew Yang is no exception.  We were all spoiled by the virtually unattainable standards that the Obamas had for themselves. That does not excuse the behavior of the current occupant in the White House, though.  

Self Defense and Fitness


Photo by Hermes Rivera on Unsplash



Awareness Drill: The Top-Down Scan
"It has been observed by sociologists that Western man whether on a hike outdoors or in an urban environment seldom looks up from the ground or above eye-level. I would wager that today, he seldom looks up from his phone."


 The Case Against Stretching
"We could spend hours parsing the evidence for whether the loss of strength after stretching is significant, how long it lasts, and so on. But if you zoom out to the big picture, the important point isn’t whether stretching is a tiny bit good, a tiny bit bad, or neutral—it’s that any benefits, at least on a population level, are pretty much invisible."


Combatives Concepts
"There are no “super secret, advanced martial arts techniques” that actually work. There are just the basics, applied at an advanced level."




Location: Austin, TX 78704, USA

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