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Cake day: June 13th, 2024

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  • Things you can do yourself. Select those that are right for you:

    • Most trips are <3 miles. Use a bike or e-bike where it makes sense, or public transportation if it’s built out.
    • Take steps to avoid the consumer-for-the sake-of-consuming mindset. Get things secondhand or from buy nothing groups.
    • Eat less meat. Vegetarian dishes can be flavorful. Even a grilled cheese and some soup is delicious. Miso also has that essential umami kick. As a reformed “need meat with every meal” type person, it’s doable, you just have to rewire your mind and gut. It’s a thing you can do to both save you and your environment.
    • Donate to climate advocacy groups and call your political representatives.
    • Recycle - it’s oddly getting a bad rap these days, because we’re the downstream consumer to the folks designing and making crap, but we still also have responsibility in the chain.
    • Avoid things like fast fashion - buy things with sustainability built in and leave intense shipping logistics out.
    • compost and grow your own food if you have the space and time. Less transport and typically better for you. At the very least, you’ll know what you’re eating.
    • purchase personal carbon offsets from reputable organizations
    • consider investing in a heat pump and insulated glass windows when it’s time to switch the older ones out if you have a home.
    • Avoid buying items that are simply packaged water. Try to buy concentrated items and then add water at the point of use. Soaps, detergents, bottled water, flavored drinks are easy ones.
    • Use a smart thermostat and set it between recommended standards for your region. You can always wear slippers / more layers to warm up when slightly cold, or run fans, hydrate and wear light clothes when a little warm.
    • Procure preventive maintenance on big ticket items and use your built in paid warranties. So many pieces of equipment fail due to some minor thing that could have been addressed earlier.
    • encourage others, evangelize sustainability. Political movements need to meet certain thresholds to turn into action.






  • The journey had been arduous. You had climbed great mountains and explored the depths of deep chasms. All culminating here, as you pulled yourself out of the crystal blue lake and stepped into the rickety dinghy. Its ancient boards groaned as it struggled to bear the burden of the new load. You looked forward. The glacier at the shoreline beckoned, approaching you as she slowly rowed.

    “It won’t be long now.” She murmured at the bow as she look forward, recognizing your newfound presence, but only just.

    You have been waiting for this moment for days, perhaps weeks even. You reach your hand out as you approach.

    The wise one interjects between the two of you. “You’ve come so far traveler.” His gaze stills you, as he guards for your outreaching hand… Tell me, what is it that you seek?”

    Halted, you struggle to get out the words, “I seek truth. I want to know why. Why her? Why me?”

    “In time. Answers will come, in time. But for now, this time is hers, not yours, traveler.

    “It’s time to let me go, Daniel.” she murmurs back as she continues to look ahead.

    As they approach Valhalla, she, the wise one, and the boat fuzz into millions of tiny pixels, like the cosmic microwave background of the universe appearing on an old television.

    You’ve come so far traveler, but your journey has much further to go.” The wise one says in your thoughts, and everything turns to black.

    You wake. The TV opposite the bed howls with static. After days, perhaps even weeks trying spend every last waking moment with her, you must have dozed off.

    The picture of you and Sarah’s lovely, adventurous trip to Iceland rests on your nightstand. The two of you, so full of life then. You realize your hand is still clutching her wrist, now lifeless and limp.

    Max whimpers, and looks down to his outstretched front legs, as if to say a prayer.

    You reach down and pat behind his ears.

    “It’s just us now, Max.” Your eyes well up like tiny crystal blue lakes, as you begin to cry.





    • cut off the top and bottom
    • on the bottom, look for the pith lines, usually 5 of them. Cut down from there all the way to the bottom, so that you have 5 slices. Remember your affirmations, you don’t have to be perfect even if everyone wants you to be. If you’re a pro you can not cut all the way through to the top and simply starfish it out
    • Take a slice and a wooden spoon. Beat the ever living daylights out of the back of the slice, the delicious rubies will go flying everywhere…hopefully into the bowl you put underneath where you’re thwacking. Or, if you don’t have an anger management disorder, just tap the backs gently, ymmv.

  • I worked at Volvo Heavy Equipment back in the early aughts. They had a presentation they showed us once where they thought they would be in 20 years. The idea was hybrid construction equipment by 2020s. I was surprised it would take that long, considering the Toyota Prius had been on the road for years by then.

    But here we are now, mid 20s. Not sure about the construction equipment, but I think this bus is more impressive. Not hybrid, all electric even. Not often I get to say this nowadays, but sometimes it’s freaking cool to be living in the future.