Category: blog

Pain

I got a cortisone shot in my knee yesterday. I am not in pain for the first time in 5 months. It’s amazing. Since I started this job in mid February, I’ve been exhausted by mid afternoon every day because I’m constantly in pain. I had my first good night’s sleep on any night of… Continue reading Pain

Cowboy Carter

Cowboy Carter is not a country album. And I do think that’s the point. I’m sure smarter people will say this better and in more detail than I will. If anything, the album is a statement on the fluidity or artificial nature of genres in music. It’s a great pop album. Beyoncé is an absolute… Continue reading Cowboy Carter

Being a Bad Buddhist

From August until two weeks ago, I was unemployed. It was, by far, the longest stretch of unemployment I’ve ever had since I got a job at 15. I’m 52. It was stressful, financially. I did all the things that long term unemployed people do: drained all my savings, dipped into retirement income, took on… Continue reading Being a Bad Buddhist

Dropping Out

I saw a meme this morning that said “the two worst feelings are having a job and not having a job”. It was serendipitous because due to some snags, I won’t be starting the new job tomorrow. I’m now going to start on Monday, but there was a period this afternoon where if or when… Continue reading Dropping Out

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Drop The Rock

This will be longer and more personal than most of my posts so far. It’s also less focused. I’m rambling a bit. This is not my metaphor and I also don’t think it’s the metaphor of the teacher in whose book I read it, though I am using my words and phrasing. I’ve seen similar… Continue reading Drop The Rock

Beads and Storms

Historically, Mardi Gras beads were glass. There were local artisans who made them, although some were purchased from elsewhere as well. In the latter half of the 20th century, those were replaced by plastic, and then like everything else made in this country, farmed out to China. There are a handful of Krewes starting to… Continue reading Beads and Storms

Greco-Buddhism

There’s a possibility that some of you know that as part of my interest in the ancient world over the last few years, I’ve picked up a couple of books on the Indo-Greeks of Bactria which was an aftermath empire that resulted from Alexander The Great’s conquests. It’s not quite a successor state like the… Continue reading Greco-Buddhism

Karma

There is absolutely nothing mystical about the concept behind the word “Karma”. If there’s one notion I wish I could disabuse people of, it’s that you benefit or suffer from the effects of some unknowable Karma, like it’s a capricious magical force that likes you or has it out for you. Karma is cause and… Continue reading Karma

Samadhi

Generally, the word Samadhi is translated as “concentration” in English in the context of Buddhism. There are longer explanations that are used as well, that go beyond just a single word. It is meant to refer to a state of deep concentration in meditation, with “right concentration” being a state of meditative concentration so well… Continue reading Samadhi