Posted inEntertainment Philosophy

Joan of Arcadia: God Appears on Prime Time

We just experienced a miracle—the premier of a prime time network series that we actually enjoyed. "Joan of Arcadia"(CBS, Friday, 8:00 pm) is about a sixteen year old girl who starts to encounter God in all sorts of guises. First, just a voice. Then a shadowy figure who seems to be an old man. Then a hunky teenage boy. And finally a black woman, for the requisite non-sexist political correctness. Personally, I was rooting for God to always appear to Joan in the guise of a male, since this seems to me to be the most appropriate and natural form…
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Posted inNeighborhood

Land use twists and turns

Ah, the wonder of all the twists and turns in our appeal of the neighborhood (Spring Lake Estates) proposed lot partitioning. First we win the appeal. We’re up! Then that decision is appealed. And we lose the second remand decision. We’re down! Then we ask the County Commissioners to reconsider the remand approval, and they decline, thereby sustaining the atrocious decision. We’re even further down! Then, after consulting the level of our psychic energy and bank balance, we decide to take another step and appeal to LUBA—the Land Use Board of Appeals, a $375 step. Though it is customary to…
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Posted inEntertainment

Swimming Pool

As a rule of thumb, whenever a movie review contains the words, “Rated R (for strong sexual content, nudity, language, some violence and drug use),” I’m pretty sure I’m going to like the film. And indeed I did like "Swimming Pool," our latest art flick entertainment at Salem Cinema. On the face of it, it’s one of those “repressed old maid writer unleashes her unexpressed wild side” movies, which wouldn’t make it too special. But the gorgeous Ludivine Sagnier, complete with alluring French accent and even more alluring frequent topless scenes, makes Swimming Pool special, as does the ending, about…
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Posted inHome life

Where is it???!!!

I haven’t posted anything for almost a week because I’ve spent most of my time camped out in our driveway, looking for the Mini-Cooper with my personalized license plate already on it to arrive from God. By now, I’m almost beginning to think that the comment attached to the posting below may have been tongue-in-cheek! But no!!! I must end that beginning of my thinking!!! My faith in God’s omnibenevolence must not slacken. And it will not. I shall consider that Keith’s comment, though perhaps not objectively factually true, still is, as he says, “a sign from a higher power.”…
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Posted inSustainability

Cool EEI web site

In my guise as the Communications Director for Eco-Enterprises, Inc. (a wonderfully impressive title, you must admit, which doesn’t begin to reflect the wonderfully humble reality behind those words), I’ve had the pleasure of working with a talented young web site designer, one Matthew Flook. His design talents can be perused at the newly released www.eco-enterprises.com, along with the written content that I supplied as my half of the partnership. The logo was designed by Matthew’s father, Randy. It nicely reflects EEI’s commitment to basing our property development model on nature’s wise cyclical way of doing things, rather than the…
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Posted inPhilosophy

Need to revisit Life Plan for Happiness

Earlier in the week Laurel had prominently displayed page 99 from the September 8 issue of TIME magazine so I couldn’t miss the item called “No Price Tag on Happiness.” To make sure I got the point, she crossed out “Porsche” and wrote in “Mini-Cooper” on the item’s first sentence: “Think that Porsche and boat and beach house you have been dreaming of would make you happy? Think again.” Richard Easterlin, an economist, found that “while healthy people are generally happier than unhealthy ones and married people are happier than unmarrieds, increases in wealth and material possessions improve happiness only…
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Posted inHome life

Secret shame confessed

It’s been a few weeks now since I engaged in an activity that needs confessing, but which I still can’t bring myself to speak openly about. So please excuse me for speaking indirectly in this posting. I hope you understand how difficult it is for me to talk about this. I mean, I’ve always known that I had a secret passion for it. And now that satellite TV (we subscribe to the DISH network) brings so many channels right into your home, it isn’t necessary to skulk around to view this sort of stuff any more. It’s right there in…
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