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Two responses to Nihilism
In the 19th and 20th centuries modernity came into its fullness, and with this maturation the religious worldview began to fall away leaving us with a crisis of meaning that we’ve come to call Nihilism. The emergence of Nihilism prompted philosophers to ponder anew that clichéd philosophical question – what is the meaning of life?…
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The day fish was cancelled
We had fish for lunch yesterday. To be more accurate, I should say they served fish for lunch yesterday. I had an egg salad sandwich. Around here, the kitchen always offers an alternative when seafood is the entrée. It’s usually chicken. But yesterday James whipped up a batch of the most delicious egg salad I’ve…
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A message from Gordon
For most Americans, the Fourth of July is a glorious celebration of national independence from a tyrannical king. It is a day filled with backyard barbecues, potato salad of questionable age, patriotic T-shirts that somehow feature more eagles than the national seal, and enough grilled meat to keep cardiologists gainfully employed for another year. As…
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Emotional Incontinence
When Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom died in 2022, it was more than a notable death, like that of a celebrity, politician, someone associated with a bestselling book, a certain business or product, or some other position of prominence within society. She was a head of state, yes, but her reign of 70…
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In Defense, and Praise, of Bread
Few things in life are more satisfying than bread. And when it comes to bread, there really is only one choice: the baguette. The baguette is one of the simplest breads in the world, yet it is also one of the most beloved. Made from only a few basic ingredients — flour, water, yeast, and…
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Smoking
I recently rediscovered Barry Manilow. I bought a “greatest hits” compilation of his on iTunes called Ultimate Manilow, and found I knew the words to every song! The arrangements, the melodies, the build to the moment of maximum drama: these were really good songs. I mean really, really good. The sentiment in the lyrics was…
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On the milestone of my 200th post
Shortly after moving in to Stonewall Gardens Assisted Living in 2015, I turned 50. A milestone. Last week, now in my eleventh year here, I turned 60. Another milestone. And thinking that a good idea for a post, I did lots of research on milestones – their origin in, where else but ancient Rome, their…
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More Fool Me
Well it’s here. April Fools’ Day. I didn’t post anything for it last year. And the year before that, I mimicked the BBC’s 1957 Swiss Spaghetti Harvest story from the news program Panorama. So I thought this year I would talk about the origins of the day. Seriously, no joke. Despite its widespread popularity across…
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Schrödinger’s Cat
One of the most famous thought experiments in modern science and philosophy is Erwin Schrödinger’s cat, a paradox that captures the strange and counterintuitive nature of the microscopic world, brought to our modern consciousness by the Caltech physics nerds on the hit television sitcom The Big Bang Theory. Introduced in 1935, the idea was not…
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A round of a’paws
Dogs are among the most socially connected animals we interact with on a daily basis. Their behavior reflects the deep bond they form with us, particularly when it comes to moments of separation. Yesterday, in the midst of a game of Rummikub during our “Games with Chuck” activity in which I finally beat Betsy at…
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