Almost a month ago, I dumbed down my smartphone. Here’s my report.
The immediate effect was about a one-third reduction in my overall screen time (my iPhone and iPad taken together), so even retaining some of the time-waster apps on my iPad made significant progress. This is because:
The iPad cannot be used comfortably in bed, meaning I’m futzing around online less before going to sleep. The iPad cannot be used at work without raising, ummm, concerns with my boss.
One of the things I appreciate about Wendell Berry’s fiction is the quietness in it. It’s not comforting fiction (or cozy, as the marketers would have it) because there is real pain suffered by the characters. But that pain is endured rather than emoted.
A good article about the current penny shortage. It’s unsurprising, I suppose, that this administration simply stopped minting pennies without providing any guidance on how the shift should be handled.
We’re on the edge of most winter storms here. In Indiana, winter storms tend to include all of northern Indiana down to Indianapolis. Often they’ll hit Bloomington–only sometimes Bedford. If the Midwest is characterized by winter storms, we’re barely Midwestern. We’re expecting 1-3" tonight.
Nothing original below. To the contrary, I’m trying to remember that less alienated era I grew up in. Some of these I’m doing and some I’m working on. Please suggest additions.
Don’t talk about politics or religion. Never bring it up yourself and if the other person brings it up, redirect the conversation. The only exception to the above is local news. This encourages engagement with the concerns of the community, which actually affects your life.
The new job has me working on Black Friday for the first time in a quarter-century. (This is adequately offset by the addition of a few bank holidays to my calendar.) Going to be a quiet day people-wise but I’m covering for a couple of co-workers so I should be busy. Headphones on, music up.
Rachel’s parents have a really cool limestone clock carved by Rachel’s great-grandfather. The timepiece is from a car of the era. Family lore says he used a hammer and screwdriver because it’s the only tools he had.
One of the good things I learned from my upbringing in the Holiness church: going it alone.
I keep running across people looking for validation in their spiritual path. I get it. We all love validation. We want someone to help us along, encourage us, tell us we’re not crazy.
At the same time, there’s a valuable lesson in “I’m gonna pray if I pray by myself; I’m gonna stand if I have to stand alone.
