Albigensia Press

02/08/2024

Sometimes it takes stepping back from a problem to realize the solution. This happened to be a couple days ago at a meeting of one of my groups and made me think, "Do I give up or do I try and solve the problem?"

Sometimes it takes stepping back from a problem to realize the solution. This happened to be a couple days ago at a meeting of one of my groups and made me think, “Do I give up or do I try an…

02/07/2024

Context: I'm currently taking a class on public planning and this post is actually one of my homework assignments. However, I liked my answers so much I thought I'd share. So enjoy! For planners like Le Corbusier, his solution for the built environment was that architecture would raise the quality of life for the working classes. This involved raising up buildings on pillars, allowing for open floor planning, and making non-supporting walls to be designed however the architect wished....

Context: I’m currently taking a class on public planning and this post is actually one of my homework assignments. However, I liked my answers so much I thought I’d share. So enjoy! For…

02/06/2024

Reactionary movements are exciting and enthusiastic because they show the world as we want to see it, not as it is. However, “to seek for the look of things as a primary purpose or as the main drama is apt to make nothing but trouble.”

Context: I’m currently taking a class on public planning and this post is actually one of my homework assignments. However, I liked my answers so much I thought I’d share. So enjoy! Max…

02/05/2024

t's easy to split every issue into a dichotomy; bikes versus cars, sustainability versus sprawl, good versus evil. When your job is to literally change the shape the earth, that desire to do good and make the world a better place is overwhelming.

Context: I’m currently taking a class on public planning and this post is actually one of my homework assignments. However, I liked my answers so much I thought I’d share. So enjoy! It&…

01/15/2024

An acquaintance of mine put this up as their motto and left me utterly confused. Which 11 principles? Of What? A motto that represents who you are does you little good if you have to explain it. Then it occurred to me - principles never require proof.

An acquaintance of mine put this up as their motto and left me utterly confused. Which 11 principles? Of What? Why do they require no proof? A motto that represents who you are does you little good…

01/10/2024

I listen to a lot of podcasts, and my extension, a lot of commercials. Today I got hit up for the Happiness Lab podcast, which is a... help you through of dealing with climate change anxiety. Oh, baby, did you find the WRONG audience.

I listen to a lot of podcasts, and my extension, a lot of commercials. Today I got hit up for the Happiness Lab podcast, which is a… help you through of dealing with climate change anxiety. O…

06/19/2023

My Father's Day was amazing. It started with my daughter drawing a personalized card copying an older picture, and they decided to give me the gift of watching films with me that I wanted to show them for years. Lots of soda, chips, and Korean food was devoured. I have a wonderful family. 😘

08/10/2022

While riding the bus, I was playing my stupid solitaire game, and a commercial for another game comes on. I couldn't help but notice most of them end in the gamer failing, with the challenge, "Could you do better?" Who does that speak to?

https://albigensia.wordpress.com/2022/08/10/gamers-divided-will-never-be-united/

While riding the bus, I was playing my stupid solitaire game, and a commercial for another game comes on. I couldn’t help but notice most of them end in the gamer failing, with the challenge,…

07/14/2022

My neighbor died recently. She was eighty-something widow, mother of two sons, and several grandkids. I didn't know much beyond that because she was crazy, raving b #&$h.

https://albigensia.wordpress.com/2022/07/14/i-wouldnt-cry-at-her-funeral/

My neighbor died recently. She was eighty-something widow, mother of two sons, and several grandkids. I didn’t know much beyond that because she was crazy, raving b #&$h. I recently looked…

07/13/2022

In the 1970s, orchestras began using blind auditions, playing behind a screen so the jury that cannot see them. As a result, the number of women in orchestras increased five fold... except they didn't. That "fact" was vastly exaggerated.

https://albigensia.wordpress.com/2022/07/13/statistics-ad-absurdum/

In the 1970s, orchestras began using blind auditions, playing behind a screen so the jury that cannot see them. As a result, the number of women in orchestras increased five fold… except they…

07/11/2022

I just watched a very snarky video about Ayn Rand and how her writing still affects the modern GOP. As a Libertarian who has (gasp!) never read any of her works, I can say that she is both right--and wrong--at the same time.

https://albigensia.wordpress.com/2022/07/11/do-i-care-who-john-galt-is/

I just watched a very snarky video about Ayn Rand and how her writing still affects the modern GOP. As a Libertarian who has (gasp!) never read any of her works, I can say that she is both right& #8…

07/07/2022

When my students didn't ask any questions, I would write "Qui tacet consentire" on the board, saying that if you didn't speak up, I'd assume you agree with me. In real life, that's rarely the case.

https://albigensia.wordpress.com/2022/07/07/silence-is-not-consent/

When my students didn’t ask any questions, I would write “Qui tacet consentire” on the board, saying that if you didn’t speak up, I’d assume you agree with me. In real…

07/01/2022

This morning, I made one of my favorite dishes--biscuits and gravy. I made vegan substitutions (tempeh & sage instead of sausage), but it turned out good. But it made me realize that that dish was an example of making yummy out of limited resources.

https://albigensia.wordpress.com/2022/07/01/making-a-virtue-out-of-necessity/

This morning, I made one of my favorite breakfasts–biscuits and gravy. I made vegan substitutions (tempeh and sage instead of sausage), but it turned out pretty good. But it made me realize t…

06/30/2022

I frequently ask the question, “Now what?” especially when it comes to GIANT issues that activists bring up. If there is something small I can do, I’ll do it. But frequently the call to action is either “Be afraid,” “Be ashamed,” or “Be aware.” (Sigh)

https://albigensia.wordpress.com/2022/06/30/now-what/

I frequently ask the question, “Now what?” especially when it comes to racial justice, climate change, and other GIANT issues that activists bring up. If there is something small and reasonable I c…

06/29/2022

I'm so tired of cutsy names for things. It may satisfy advertisers who want the name to stick in your head, but it doesn't help me want to use your product. But does Madison Avenue know better than me?

https://albigensia.wordpress.com/2022/06/29/stop-saying-wango-tango/

I’m so tired of cutsy names for things. It may satisfy advertisers who want the name to stick in your head, but it doesn’t help me want to use your product. But does Madison Avenue know…

06/28/2022

I'm a firm believer that faith in America and the values we claim to represent (whether we live up to them or not) is a good thing. This is called civil religion. But if you say the Constitution is "divinely inspired," you may be taking it too far.

https://albigensia.wordpress.com/2022/06/28/taking-civil-religion-too-far/

I’m a firm believer that faith in America and the values we claim to represent (whether we live up to them or not) is a good thing. This is called civil religion. But if you say the Constitut…

06/27/2022

Maybe I’m too cynical, but I’ve found recently that often I can’t take things at face value. I’m always thinking, “What’s the angle?” “What are they trying to push.” This applies to the news, to ads, but most recently, to holidays.

https://albigensia.wordpress.com/2022/06/27/polite-fiction-vs-cynical-view/

Maybe I’m too cynical, but I’ve found recently that often I can’t take things at face value. I’m always thinking, “What’s the angle?” “What are they trying to push.” This applies to the news, to ad…

06/24/2022

I reread a book this weekend and two-thirds of it was pretty much like I remembered. But I forgot how it ended. In fact, the final third turned it from being 4 stars to 5. Am I just getting old? Or did I deliberately tune this plotline out?

https://albigensia.wordpress.com/2022/06/24/how-did-i-forget-this-book/

I reread a book this weekend and two-thirds of it was pretty much like I remembered. But I forgot how it ended. In fact, the final third turned it from being 4 stars to 5. Am I just getting old? Or…

06/23/2022

Sci-fi is a great way of talking about current political issues without offending people. I remember Star Trek addressing climate change back in 1993. Watching it now in 2022, I'm realizing it was a little too on the nose, but not in the way they thought.

https://albigensia.wordpress.com/2022/06/23/when-the-parable-becomes-too-close-to-reality/

Sci-fi is a great way of talking about current political issues without offending people. I remember Star Trek addressing climate change in “Force of Nature” back in 1993. Watching it n…

06/22/2022

I call my cubicle the "fortress of solitude," because I don't want anyone to know what I'm doing here. In reality, I hide here from my family, because I don't want anyone to see how little I do.

https://albigensia.wordpress.com/2022/06/22/fortress-of-solitude/

I call my cubicle the “fortress of solitude,” because I don’t want anyone to know what I’m doing here. In reality, I hide here from my family, because I don’t want any…

06/21/2022

If someone has a gig that only requires 15 hours of work a week, is it really necessary? What are the consequences of hiring them? Does your feeling of self worth decline if you know your job is meaningless?

https://albigensia.wordpress.com/2022/06/21/do-you-have-a-bs-job/

If someone has a gig that only requires 15 hours of work a week, is it really necessary? What are the consequences of hiring them? Does your feeling of self worth decline if you know your job is me…

06/20/2022

When I grew up in the Midwest, in the Spring, a line of cones would appear on the highway, go for twenty miles, and not be removed until Fall. You would rarely see anyone working on it. In Arizona, cones appear overnight, and then the next day, disappear.

https://albigensia.wordpress.com/2022/06/20/ninja-construction/

When I grew up in the Midwest, in the Spring, a line of cones would appear on the highway, go for twenty miles, and not be removed until October. You would rarely see anyone working on it. In Arizo…

06/17/2022

There's a reason why they think Arizonans are crazy and it has to do with our summer. As I write this, our high today is going to be 114, and it will get to 120 by August. So imagine being my kids and during their summer break, they can't run around.

https://albigensia.wordpress.com/2022/06/17/hiding-from-the-sun/

There’s a reason why they think Arizonans are crazy and it has to do with our summer. As I write this, our high today is going to be 114, and it will get to 120 by August. So imagine being my…

06/16/2022

The pastor of the Stedfast Baptist Church got a lot of press recently by saying the government should execute all gay people. This is based on a literal interpretation of the Bible... but is it? The answer is yes AND no.

https://albigensia.wordpress.com/2022/06/16/literal-interpretation-is-still-pick-and-choose/

The pastor of the Stedfast Baptist Church got a lot of press recently by saying the government should execute all gay people. This is based on a literal interpretation of the Bible… but is it…

06/15/2022

When two idiots decide they're going to fistfight on a city bus, you know that something is terribly wrong with mass transit. I've had the joy for a year now and I've realized that it's just like working in the ER. You see ALL of humanity.

https://albigensia.wordpress.com/2022/06/15/adventures-in-mass-transit/

When two idiots decide they’re going to fistfight on a city bus, you know that something is terribly wrong with mass transit. I’ve had the joy of riding the rails for a year now and I& #…