How do you plan your goals?
By the seat of my pants.
How do you plan your goals?
By the seat of my pants.
If I’m being entirely honest, everything that’s come out of this enterprise has been of selfish motive — even those activities that seem like they have broader purpose. For example, I started book reviewing because: a.) I found it disheartening how many books I read that I had virtually no recollection of a couple years down the line, and b.) because, while I felt I knew good writing when I read it, I couldn’t really say what it was that made it good or bad without taking a more analytical look into the matter. (And I was pretty sure good writing wouldn’t come to me osmotically — merely by reading good writing — if I didn’t understand why it was good writing.)
I started recording classic poems to get a better sense of the sound quality of well-crafted poetry (and to become more comfortable with the sound of my own voice.)
I guess the honest answer is that I hope to be smarter and more capable as a result of the practice. It is continuing education, a fostering of the Beginner’s Mind.
What’s the most money you’ve ever spent on a meal? Was it worth it?
Probably about $50 USD.
No. Definitely not. I don’t have fancy tastebuds, so all my system can differentiate is how much pride they are taking in putting such scant portions of edible matter on the plate. I do not find pride filling.
It is by no means uninteresting, nor did it require “scouring” (though it probably would have if I was in the US,) but Bangladesh is imploding (PM ouster, protests turn violent, all exacerbated by flooding, etc.,) and we were planning to visit later this year. So, much for that trip.
List 30 things that make you happy.
1.) Movement; 2.) Learning; 3.) Chocolate Chip Cookies; 4.) Nature; 5.) Travel; 6.) Discovery; 7.) Spontaneity; 8.) Funny Comments; 9.) Music; 10.) Silence; 11.) Harmony; 12.) Freedom; 13.) Seeing Beauty; 14.) Flow; 15.) Transcendence; 16.) Tacos; 17.) Coffee; 18.) Quintessence; 19.) Paper Masala Dosa; 20.) Mushroom; 21.) Thwarting of Convention; 22.) Pad Thai; 23.) Novelty; 24.) Entrancement; 25.) The Unknown; 26.) Reading; 27.) Writing; 28.) Puzzling; 29.) Mango; 30.) Coming To The End Of Meaningless Lists.
I’m not traveling, so — at one level of specificity — it could be said to be typical. The flow of my routine is more or less as usual for recent weeks. Then again, at another level of specificity, it could be said to be a day filled with completely unique experiences never before had (precisely as I’m having them) by anyone, anywhere, at any time in the history of the world. I guess I prefer to look at things in the latter way.
What’s the story behind your nickname?
Unfortunately, it’s just the most common abbreviation of my proper name.
For the balance of this year: Uttarakhand (India) and Laos are the biggies, and then a number of shorter, closer, and more impromptu stops.
Of late, I’ve thought it would be fun to learn to make some of my Chinese favorites — e.g. Kung Pao Chicken (宫保鸡丁,) Twice-Cooked Pork (回锅肉,) and Sesame Chicken (芝麻鸡.)
Dogs or cats?
I prefer either to humans, generally speaking. I prefer dogs when feeling the need for affection, but cats when I want my space. Since the latter is more often my state of being, I guess a slight edge to cats.