I was listening to a British current events podcast in the car. The hosts were talking about U.S.-China relations and one said that he didn’t know if the U.S. was being “manichean.” What did that mean? Did I mishear? A few minutes later, he said it again - “manichean.” Weird. Was that a word I should know? Despite being in operation of a motor vehicle and against my better judgment, I whipped out my phone to look it up
More …One of the most common complaints about the pandemic was the inability to travel. The way some people went about it, you’d think they were being deprived of a fundamental physiological need. I have several friends who went on international trips during the pandemic, in defiance of public guidance, because they “needed to get out.”
More …There’s an assumption that wistfulness is only for the long ago. But, sometimes I find myself sentimental for more recent times - like, for the me of five years ago, a starry-eyed graduate who handed out my business card to every person that she met and thought of Magic the Gathering as a “solid back-up-plan,” should the law thing not work out. I feel tenderness towards this iteration of myself, combined with some remorse for the hardening (or reality shock) that I’ve since experienced.
More …I engaged in a negotiation of sorts this week. Overall, I’m pretty satisfied with the outcome. I didn’t get exactly what I wanted, but I got something close to it. (Wouldn’t say I split the difference). A few takeaways from the experience are:
More …As a recently-registered Seattle voter, I was confused when a packet containing something called “Democracy Vouchers” arrived in my mailbox. How did they relate to voting? Could I use them for booze? So, I hit the WWW to find out.
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