This year, I lost my pilgrimage to the wild. While Wuhan was still the only city under lockdown, I planned a backcountry trip in Yosemite National Park. I wanted to be awed by the power which can crack a mountain in half and leave sheer vertical cliffs behind.
Continue reading “Not so Fast! Wilderness Matters”Finding a soul
There’s an old aphorism, variously attributed to Edmund Burke or Clemenceau or Churchill or any of a dozen others, saying that if one is either a conservative or at the very least not a socialist (or communist, or liberal, or insert era-appropriate label for the elevation of the common good over individual benefit) before the age of 25 (or 20, or 30, or whatever), then one “has no heart.” The punchline, of course, is that if one is a socialist or at the very least not a conservative (or a Republican, or reactionary, or insert era-appropriate label for the elevation of capital and the individual over the common good) after the age of 40 (or 30, or 29, or whatever), then one “has no head.”
Continue reading “Finding a soul”Wilderness or lack thereof
Yesterday was one of those annoying rainy days. Good rainy days, in my opinion, are just rainy the whole day through – maybe not pouring rain, but at least a good pestering drizzle from (ideally) before you wake up until after darkness falls. On good rainy days – and keep in mind yesterday was a Saturday – you can sleep in without feeling guilty. Even the dog doesn’t really want to go out; sure, she may need to relieve herself, but who relishes the prospect of pissing and shitting while you’re getting cold and damp in the outdoors, while your feet are sinking into a coalescing mud? No one, not even a good dog. So she’s willing to hold it in until it’s a necessity, versus her normal desire on a sunny day to get up immediately and enjoy all there is about the world, and also have a good BM while she’s at it. No, yesterday was a lousy rainy day. The dog and I got up early, had a forty minute walk and then it started a half-hearted drizzle and we made it back to the house without too much of a soaking. Then it rained for six hours – from 8am to 2pm – and then stopped. While it was raining it was a downpour, but it stopped quickly.
Continue reading “Wilderness or lack thereof”I Ran Today
I ran today.
I didn’t want to, but I knew I needed it. It was hot, 97 degrees in the Texas Hill Country. Barely a cloud in the sky, with a blazing sun and higher humidity than normal. Too hot to be out running, truthfully, but I did it anyway.
Continue reading “I Ran Today”Books
How many books have you read, a friend asked, in your life?
Not an easy question to answer, having neglected to keep a list. In the absence of documentary evidence, I resort to a process of estimation. This will require some clarification of each of the terms of the question. Continue reading “Books”