“Everything that needs to be said has already been said. But, since no one was listening, everything must be said again.” – Andre Gide
I am so happy and grateful for my sight and hearing, deteriorating but still working.
Spend as little time as possible talking about how other people are wrong.
Tyler Cowen, again. Repeated to make sure that you understand!
Gratitude Journal
I am so happy and grateful that we will go out today to take our cats to the vet.
Krishna descends to this planet every 8.6 billion years and this purpose is stated in Bhagarad-gita and we have to accept it as is; otherwise there is no point in trying to understand it!
Swami
To-do list
I taught Bruce today though actually, I didn’t really teach him anything. We ended up talking about Chinese history and how things repeat themselves. I should try and talk to more people – though I don’t really need a high quota to be happy, I have to be aware that I don’t cut everyone off.
I talked with Hayden for a little while today too. He seems to be doing okay under the conditions of the lockdown in Australia.
I watched some of Joe Rogan’s interview with Andrew Yang about Universal Basic Income and I’m starting to consider Hayden’s attitude to work may serve him well in the future, maybe at least not wasting his time and energy on a career that leads nowhere or is made redundant by technology and automation. He still needs to master himself in self-motivation and hard work for himself though.
I’m still confused about my own direction in continuing teaching at the moment. If we move to online teaching it will remove one of the things that I enjoy about teaching and that is the connection I have with the students.
And why waste time working hard when this virus could just stop me dead at any time? If we have only a year left, do I want to spend it in the frustrations of this teaching system? But I guess I shouldn’t be thinking like that (and I am still, very slowly, preparing lessons).
Weight: 79.0kg
Gratitude Journal
I am so happy and grateful to have choices in my life. I have the opportunity to live anywhere.
Spend as little time as possible talking about how other people are wrong.
Tyler Cowen
I am so happy and grateful for my books and my newfound pleasure in reading.
Everybody now has at least two cars, two television sets and a haunted look in their eyes. In short – we are happy.
Albert Umber
To-do list
Thursday now – we took the cats to the vet in the city for vaccines. It was good to be out if only very briefly and directly – no dilly-dally.
There’s talk of having to teach our classes online in the new semester – not sure how well that will work and not sure how enjoyable it might be. A challenge – but is it a challenge I want to take? I suppose I would still like to be doing something – let’s see.
Amy has been even more vocal about not wanting to stay here anymore and I think she will go to Oz as soon as it’s feasible again and we’ll get our heads around moving back there. We can’t really do it until Cap and Tigger have gone though – taking them back isn’t really possible.
I am so happy and grateful for the wind because whilst it may be blowing the smoke in our direction, it is also helping to blow it further away
I’m just this big open field, waiting for the rain.
Henry Rollins
To-do list
Tuesday now, no new report. Not much thinking going on. Not in the mood for thought-provoking reading or listening – just entertainment. No end in sight for this shutdown.
I am so happy and grateful for our clean terrace this morning.
You do not have to lead an interesting life in order to understand how atoms move, but perhaps you do need it to understand what moves humans.
Branko Milanovic
To-do list
A lazy beery day. I’m still not really enjoying alcohol much these days – it interferes with my ability to read, write and watch (and follow) TV. I should just drink at social occasions but of course, there are none of those currently. So, anyway, I didn’t get much of anything done today.
I am so happy and grateful to be motivated to help Amy this morning. We did an hour cleaning the terrace and it was fun.
24th Mar 2023 – A disadvantage of having a relatively big house and garden is the time to maintain and clean it. When I moved to Australia and started doing more adult things (!), Bronwyn and I lived first in an apartment before relocating for work to a house with a garden. We thought that would be great – so much space to do with what we wanted. I soon discovered that that space did what it wanted with us.
As we were renting there was no real connection with space that made me what to spend too much time keeping it together.
Even now I would rather pay someone to do our garden work. I wonder how much of a step it would be for me to hire a cleaner for indoors? Somehow I just can’t imagine that unless I was incapacitated. Even considering this kind of thing is a privilege I am thankful for.
You are a human-in-training and that making mistakes and having slips of integrity and mediocre moments are a part of life, not unforgivable sins.
Dan Millman
To-do list
Spent some time actually doing things today. The days go quickly either way. A few weeks ago I was motivating myself with challenges and now I feel, with more time on my hands, less challenged and therefore less motivated.
I like this feeling because I may get less done but what does it really matter? I had less time before because I was working so it was important to allocate time to getting other things done. Work can be rewarding but starting to feel unnecessary. Luckily, I’m in a position financially where it’s not a big issue.
27th Jun 2024 – I don’t know exactly how I was feeling when I wrote this because I feel almost the opposite now. I don’t enjoy not having anything in particular to do. I’m good at filling my time but feel much more motivated when time is limited.
I am so happy and grateful for our month of supplies so we don’t have to go out too much. I love being at home though I would prefer to have the option to go out anytime.
The most beautiful part about love was that you could savour the memory forever.
To-do list
Didn’t make it to my room today. Enjoyed lots of reading and watching TV.
I am so happy and grateful that we are financially stable and don’t have to worry about money so much.
A conversation between Col. Harvey G. Summers and a North Vietnamese colonel after the Vietnam war. Summers pointed out that the US was never beaten on the battlefield. The colonel replied “That is true. It is also irrelevant.”
To-do list
Didn’t even make it out to my room today. Used my laptop a little bit on the lounge – apart from that, a lazy, lazy day.
Gratitude Journal
I am so happy and grateful that I can remain calm today despite the stupidity surrounding me. I have been asked to control myself emotionally and not get too worked up.
For everyone is pained by the thought of disappearing, unheard and unseen, into an indifferent universe, and because of that everyone wants, while there is still time, to turn himself into a universe of words.
Milan Kundera, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting
To-do list
What an interesting and fun day today was in the end. So, after thinking I had completed everything yesterday I went to school to clock in and Amy and I went around the city doing some shopping. At about 10 am I started getting messages that I am supposed to be at school even though there is nothing to do. So I head back and apparently, there were things that needed to be fixed in the grading files – even though I had followed all their instructions and they OK’d it the day before.
So, while I’m helping them fix these I get a message from TLC saying I won’t be getting paid. I was quite proud of my fairly calm reaction and luckily kept my mouth shut long enough, and to talk with Amy. We thought it best to offer TLC that I finish with the school and forget about the money. I found the whole stupid situation quite amusing and a sad reflection on these poor people.
I helped Kru Noon and did everything she asked of me. I like her – she has been very sympathetic and she lamented and apologised for what she knows is a terrible school. She’s stuck there so I consider myself quite lucky. I came home and forgot about my tasks and challenges today as I felt like I had lost my focus due to these events. Not to worry. I’ll get back onto it tomorrow, though do feel like I am on holiday now.
1994ever 