Latest from the Blog
Farewell, 2021: Happy Holidays!
Greetings, visitor! It’s been a long year and there’s so much to share. Until I have a chance for a full update next year, here’s a brief jingle like a dash of nutmeg on Christmas eggnog. Where do I begin? Although I can’t claim the Grammy-winning yoni of 2021, congrats to CardiB for WAP!, I … Continue reading Farewell, 2021: Happy Holidays!
Fall 2020 Blog Update (Part 7 of 7) ~ What Comes Next: 2020, 2021, & 2022 [Revised]
Declaring one’s intentions can be risky. If public announcements don’t fall prey to hollow chest-thumping, they can feel restrictive, like binding contracts incapable of being changed. Noted. And yet I’m willing to accept these risks. I know that sharing my plans can offer some direction for this site’s development. So, think of this as a … Continue reading Fall 2020 Blog Update (Part 7 of 7) ~ What Comes Next: 2020, 2021, & 2022 [Revised]
Fall 2020 Blog Update (Part 6 of 7) ~ Lessons Learned: Conviction
After moaning for weeks about the touchy elevator in my new apartment, I eventually accepted that maybe the elevator wasn’t malfunctioning. Or, rather, if it was, it wasn’t in greater need of maintenance than my own expectations. Granted, many of the technologies I find in Spain are either currently broken, were recently broken, or are … Continue reading Fall 2020 Blog Update (Part 6 of 7) ~ Lessons Learned: Conviction
Fall 2020 Blog Update (Part 5 of 7) ~ Current Challenges: Applying Energy Management
At the sagging end of 2020, I’ve begun to appreciate energy management more practically: merging the pursuits of mysticism with science, it’s not a philosophy that can exist apart from a practice. Despite the challenges that arose during an extended COVID-19 quarantine, I have managed to stumble forward in some ways. While confined indoors, I began a daily … Continue reading Fall 2020 Blog Update (Part 5 of 7) ~ Current Challenges: Applying Energy Management
Fall 2020 Blog Update (Part 4 of 7) ~ Current Challenges: Understanding Energy Management
At first glance, my greatest challenge during 2020 appeared to be time management: What should I do with so much free time? Not only did I have the standard summer break for people working in the teaching field, I had an additional two months off after being inactivated from my normal work duties due to … Continue reading Fall 2020 Blog Update (Part 4 of 7) ~ Current Challenges: Understanding Energy Management
Fall 2020 Blog Update (Part 3 of 7) ~ What I’ve Been Up To
During the COVID-19 quarantine in 2020, I had plenty of free time for projects that had long been shelved due to lack of time. This website was one of them. And yet after building it, I was not yet ready for the commitment of publishing regular content. Instead I was quickly consumed by other projects. … Continue reading Fall 2020 Blog Update (Part 3 of 7) ~ What I’ve Been Up To
Fall 2020 Blog Update (Part 2 of 7) ~ A Moment of Clarity
After dodging this blog entry over the summer, I recently arrived at the end of my delay while lying on my bed one Sunday afternoon. Staring upward at the hanging ceiling lamp [pictured below], I found motivation the way a big toe stumbles upon a corner of the bed in the middle of the night: … Continue reading Fall 2020 Blog Update (Part 2 of 7) ~ A Moment of Clarity
Fall 2020 Blog Update (Part 1 of 7) ~ So, Where’s the Content?
Forgive me, Father, for I have— Okay, maybe I’m being just a little dramatic. Eight months after I launched this website in March 2020, I’ve had a modest visit count by most measures. Granted, I’ve shared very little content so far; nor have I made much effort to promote it. Still, the principle remains. Although my infrequent … Continue reading Fall 2020 Blog Update (Part 1 of 7) ~ So, Where’s the Content?
US Halloween & Election Day 2020, Frank Zappa Style: The Torture Never Stops
Trick or treat? Halloween is paving the way for the United States presidential election this year, knee-deep in the COVID-19 crisis of 2020. Fortunately, as we’re peeling smashed pumpkins from the street, riding a national sugar high in various states of isolation, anxious and uncertain about our future, democracy persists. We remain citizens bound to … Continue reading US Halloween & Election Day 2020, Frank Zappa Style: The Torture Never Stops
US Independence Day 2020, Frank Zappa Style: Outside Now
Can we appreciate a home that we’ve perhaps never truly known? Would we recognise it if we found it? What would it look like? Of course, we can address the question figuratively, wax existential for a quick minute. But in 2020, we can now address the issue experientially. In a time when our homes have … Continue reading US Independence Day 2020, Frank Zappa Style: Outside Now
US Memorial Day 2020, Frank Zappa Style: Chunga’s Revenge
While we reflect on what freedom means to us during the COVID-19 quarantine, it’s a good time to celebrate where we can. For zealous patriots and protestors alike, whatever flag we raise or trample upon the lawn, only the foolish wait for history to sanctify our losses. If politics, at its best, aims for unity, … Continue reading US Memorial Day 2020, Frank Zappa Style: Chunga’s Revenge
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Todd B. Gruel 