The Bread is a Lie

When I returned from my first trip to Nepal, I tried to replicate some of the foods I had eaten while I was there. My experiments with chapati failed miserably, but the tea houses in the Manang region had served buckwheat pancakes that I really liked, and to my surprise, buckwheat flour is fairly common […]

The Struggle to Find and Afford Healthy Food

I’ve spent an ungodly amount of money on groceries this past month. Without going into too much detail, I finally went to a gastroenterologist last month to talk about some of the heartburn issues I’ve had for a long time, which got much worse this past year, and when she explained to me some of […]

Lonely People and Content Creators

Lately, there’s been an annoying trend of YouTube channels producing podcast-style content in the form of “after-show” thoughts and discussions. One of my favorite movie critics now regularly publishes snippets of conversation from hours-long “discussion” podcasts, and produces these far more frequently than he does actual movie reviews. They are sometimes tolerable in such small […]

Even More Thoughts on Books

After giving away a great many books a few months ago, I’ve had the chance to stem the tide, reflect on what information is actually valuable to read, and take something of a break from buying so many books. Overall, I think this has worked, and I’m finally reaching the point at which I really […]

Facebook Friends

I have under 100 friends on Facebook, and have for some time, but the interesting thing about having so few friends is that it’s very easy to tell when somebody has removed you, since your friend count will go down quite visibly. Recently, somebody removed me, but for the life of me, I don’t know […]

Giving Up on the Straight Razor – Thoughts on Low-ROI Skills

Sometime in the early 2010s, I was introduced to the double-edged safety razor, which consists of a solid handle, razor head, and extremely cheap double-sided razor blades. The hype was real, and although it took me awhile to find the right brand of blades to work with my skin, the shave is absolutely superior to […]

Types of Possessions

Most of our possessions can be categorized based on several generic types. These types can tell us a lot about whether our possessions are working for us or against us. I’m sure one could come up with additional categories, but I think these account for the vast majority.

Poverty as a Pretense for Hoarding

This title might not be accurate, but I think it gets the message across. I realized the other day that the only reason I keep video games I don’t want to play is that I don’t want to pay for them again if I change my mind. When I bought my Switch, I made the […]

The Resolution of Inner Torment

The season I’m in is very unusual. On its surface, it’s a time for study and a time to prepare for a major career shift that could steer the course of the rest of my life. But under the surface, something much deeper is happening. Several times this past year, my jaw became sore during […]

Structural Demand and Exploitation

I don’t believe in grand conspiracies, but I do think that the various people in power employ similar tactics to maintain their power, and the collective effect of these tactics over millions of people can easily create an unofficial alliance of opinion. For example, it is rare for society to endorse a high savings rate. […]