Travis Smith: my resume, bio and photos back to the main blog page

I have a few personal projects in mind for the new year, but before I announce them, I’d like to get started on them.

I find, perversely, that announcing my projects tends to deflate them.  That I say I’m going to do a big thing, but then it doesn’t happen.

That goes contrary to the advice I sometimes get (and give): that you should announce your intentions publicly, so that you have more on the line to carry through with them.  I’ve seen several people do that this year, not just about resolution,s but with pictures of themselves at a certain weight, with photo projects, with aspirational quotes and shared To Do lists.

* * *

Susie’s hard drive died on Sunday.  She has a Windows machine, and we can’t find her XP discs.  So it’s $200 for Windows 7, $100 for Office, $150 for a new hard drive, and hours of setup and data recovery (yes, we have a backup, but it’s not like it just kerplunks itself back into place.

Thing is, for that much money and time, should we just get a new computer?  I don’t know.  It’s only two years old.  It’s a decent tower with a decent CPU.  sigh.

* * *

Dinner Wednesday is going to be some delicious chicken ball soup with vermicelli noodles. Susie got a Noodle recipe book for Christmas and I’m looking to benefit mightily from it.

Noodles are a strange thing: how old can they be and still boil up fine? Years, I bet.  That’s pretty amazing.

Noodles and relationships—they can sit dormant for years and then one day, boil back into life, revitalizing and filling you up.

It’s kind of like that for the nice long phone call with my Dad on Boxing Day.

It’s the first real conversation I’ve had with him in four or so years.  I’m looking forward to our next call.  I called him; there was about 2 minutes of awkwardness, and then we started talking about car headlights and it all just kind of felt like it should.  I’ve missed him a hell of a lot.  It’s not always possible to get someone back if you’ve put them out of your life, and I don’t know that my Dad’s going to be back in mine, but it feels promising as of today, and that feels good.

* * *

p.s. one of my personal projects is to blog more this year.  Are you surprised?

Overheard

“The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil.”

...who said it?

“Almost every American I know does trade large portions of his life for entertainment, hour by weeknight hour, binge by Saturday binge, Facebook check by Facebook check. I’m one of them. In the course of writing this I’ve watched all 13 episodes of House of Cards and who knows how many more West Wing episodes, and I’ve spent any number of blurred hours falling down internet rabbit holes. All instead of reading, or writing, or working, or spending real time with people I love.”

...who said it?

“Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones.”

...who said it?

“I play with variables constantly.”

...who said it?

“Only the person who has learned Continual Love coming from a heart of Gratitude/Worship can effectively deal with the problem of loneliness.”

...who said it?

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