Recent Comments

1. about 1 hour ago on The Argyle Sweater

   Just out of curiosity, where in southern Indiana. Used to live there & have family there.

2. about 14 hours ago on Calvin and Hobbes

   I just think the “win at all costs” attitude has become the primary focus. Even back in the 70s, we were. primed to hate the other schools. That’s just weird and unhelpful.

3. about 14 hours ago on M2Bulls

   And you won’t be voting for Trump, the grab-em-by-the genital guy? The multiply accused sexual abuser accused of pedophilia… right? Or do you not care about that?

4. about 14 hours ago on M2Bulls

   I appreciate hearing that. I wonder what her calculations were.

5. about 14 hours ago on Clay Jones

   We use Penzeys. Nice stuff.

6. about 14 hours ago on Clay Jones

   Yeah. that is a problem. But when they do show up, it’s often fruitful.

7. about 20 hours ago on Clay Jones

   It think you misinterpret my meaning. When I said this has nothing to do with being marginalized, I was serious. There are MAGA and liberal marginalized people. I avoid the term “woke” because it is so horribly abused these days as to be nothing more than an insult. I DO believe that people of opposite ends of almost any spectrum can come to appreciate each other and even understand each other — or at least hear each other.

   In fact, I have co-led retreats that help disparate groups do that very thing. However, and this is a big caveat, this only works with people who are willing to listen and to understand the other. That means both ways. One of the exercises we do is very simple. We assign a random topic to discuss (eg., why I prefer tea to coffee, or why I like dogs or cats). We then put two people together, one as a speaker, the other as a listener. Once the speaker has given their response to the topic, the listener must repeat back what the speaker has said without inserting any of their own opinion or thoughts. After that, they confirm with the original speaker that they have fairly represented their thoughts. Naturally, they then switch positions. This is much harder for people to do than you might think, and it becomes harder when the topic becomes more controversial. But learning how not to decide on one’s own what the other person means (and instead really hearing them) is crucial to any functioning relationship or government.

8. about 22 hours ago on Calvin and Hobbes

   Agreed. I am also a musician and have always cherished my band time (still play with a community band all these years later). It is a much more collaborative experience, for sure. Recently, I’ve taken to acting in community theater, another wonderfully creative collaboration (though auditions do seem pretty competitive).

   Mind you I still do some sport — the much maligned pickleball — but that is primarily communal, and we mix up teams every game, so we get some exercise AND chitchat. I forgot to mention one sport which, though I would never do it myself, did have a different feel to it. Cross country. My sons ran cross country despite having parents who detest running. What I liked about was that all the parents and other athletes cheered for every single runner from the first to the last. It always felt good to see the teams from other schools cheering on the last kid with sincere goodwill. It’s a different feel, and every kid cared more about their “personal best” than where they placed in the race.

9. about 22 hours ago on Jeff Stahler

   Exactly! At this point in time, there are NO good Republican candidates. None.

10. about 22 hours ago on M2Bulls

    I can see how in South Dakota it might play okay, though there would be folks there who would object as well. But to put it in a book with a national audience just shows she has no clue about the rest of the country. None.