Random Acts of Beauty

...’s Central Library have been a big part of my effort to cut down on screen time in the evening (during the day my workshop and home restoration duties force me away from that infernal iPhone). Librarians have a real talent for suggesting books I’d never find on my own such as Wiener Werkstätte Jewelry. Behold, the striking pendant above designed by Koloman Moser in 1905. William Burges Cardiff Castle. Another serendipitous find, Gothic Revival by...

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Kelly’s New Desk

...he past and to this day in many places in the world. As this was the first time I’ve ever built this type of table, mistakes were made but I’m pleased with the end result. Schwartz emphasizes hand tools which means that this desk could be made with just a few tools in a small workshop (though it does kinda call for a drill press to cut the circular holes for the legs). In my tiny garage workshop I use a mix of power and hand tools: power tools for...

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Saturday Tweets: Vive la Revolution!

...ized, and how it causes damage at the highest policy levels. (For shame @nytimes) https://t.co/ccwSDLyHdj — Peter Kalmus (@ClimateHuman) August 9, 2018 A siege. A bomb. 48 dogs. And the black commune that would not surrender https://t.co/v2JAS9X1Sk — Root Simple (@rootsimple) August 6, 2018 I’ve been sounding this alarm for a while: horticulture is in decline worldwide because young people are not filling positions of previous generations. This co...

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Saturday Linkages: Gaslighting the Quarantine Cats

...nitize their food and kitchens 3 Reasons Your Chicken May Display Red Legs Time to Get Blueberries in Your Freezer? Strawberry Feijoa Jam Your wedding’s been cancelled by the coronavirus lockdown? Good Inside NextDoor’s Karen problem What It’s Like to Get Doxed for Taking a Bike Ride Writer Lane Moore condensed my mood in a Tweet, is anyone else feeling gaslit all the time lately? I’m wearing my mask everywhere I go, I don’t touch it, I don’t pull...

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Leisure The Basis of Culture

...and rediscovered in hard work. Fr. Mark Kowalewski, who tipped me off to Pieper’s book, describes this state of leisure as “profoundly counter-cultural.” And yet I hear Gmail calling me. Time to update my Facebook profile and get out some tweets. How do you deal with life’s distractions? How do you carve out some time for true leisure?...

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