For Sale: CSB Handcrafted VBV Black Goatskin

FEATURES: 

  • Goatskin premium leather cover  
  • Verse-by-verse layout  
  • Bold and indented verse numbers that are easy to find on the page  
  • High-quality Bible paper  
  • Smyth-sewn, lay-flat, edge-lined binding meant to last a lifetime
  • Two-column text format  
  • Robust cross-reference system to enhance personal study  
  • Topical subject headings  
  • 10-point type size  
  • Black-letter text 
  • Footnotes  
  • Art gilt page edges  
  • Three ribbon markers for easy referencing between pages  
  • Elegant two-piece gift box  
  • Concordance  
  • Presentation page for gift-giving 
  • Full-color maps  
  • 6.875” x 9” page size

Italian city of Bologna braces for collapse of leaning Garisenda Tower

The Italian city of Bologna is preparing for one of its iconic towers, built more than 900 years ago, to collapse due to excessive leaning. 

The Tower of Garisenda, twinned by the nearby Asinelli Tower, is one of Bologna’s hallmark sights, standing at just over 150 feet tall. But it has been leaning since at least the 14th century when the top 32 feet of the building were removed in an attempt to stabilize it.

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My new favorite term: Wabi-sabi

The Elusive Beauty of Imperfection

In a few words, one could say that wabi sabi is the beauty of imperfect things. Of course, that would be overly simplistic explanation for such a deep and profoundly rooted notion in the Japanese spirit. Something between an artistic concept, a philosophy of life and a personal feeling, wabi sabi is everywhere in Japanese culture.

In Japan, wabi sabi is imperceptible but everywhere: a crack on a teapot, the wood of an old door, green moss on a rock, a misty landscape, a distorted cup or the reflection of the moon on a pond.

In Wabi Sabi: The Japanese Art of Impermanence, Andrew Juniper defines wabi sabi as “an intuitive appreciation of ephemeral beauty in the physical world that reflects the irreversible flow of life in the spiritual world.”

Related to landscapes, objects and even human beings, the idea of wabi sabi can be understood as an appreciation of a beauty that is doomed to disappear, or even a ephemeral contemplation of something that becomes more beautiful as it ages, fades, and consequently acquires a new charm.

Rich Men North of Richmond

Oliver Anthony, “Rich Men of Richmond” Lyrics:

I’ve been sellin’ my soul, workin’ all day / Overtime hours for bullshit pay / So I can sit out here and waste my life away / Drag back home and drown my troubles away.

Pre-Chorus:
It’s a damn shame what the world’s gotten to / For people like me and people like you / Wish I could just wake up and it not be true / But it is, oh, it is.

Chorus:
Livin’ in the new world / With an old soul / These rich men north of Richmond / Lord knows they all just wanna have total control / Wanna know what you think, wanna know what you do / And they don’t think you know, but I know that you do / ‘Cause your dollar ain’t shit and it’s taxed to no end / ‘Cause of rich men north of Richmond.

I wish politicians would look out for miners / And not just minors on an island somewhere / Lord, we got folks in the street, ain’t got nothin’ to eat / And the obese milkin’ welfare.

Well, God, if you’re 5-foot-3 and you’re 300 pounds / Taxes ought not to pay for your bags of fudge rounds / Young men are puttin’ themselves six feet in the ground / ‘Cause all this damn country does is keep on kickin’ them down.

Repeat Pre-Chorus

Repeat Chorus

I’ve been sellin’ my soul, workin’ all day / Overtime hours for bullshit pay.

Westinghouse 9500DF Dual Fuel Generator with a Natural Gas Conversion

The Westinghouse WGen9500DF Dual Fuel Portable Generator produces up to 12,500 peak watts and 9,500 running watts. The WGen9500DF is a dual fuel generator that operates on gasoline or propane (LPG). The heavy duty 457cc 4-Stroke OHV Westinghouse Engine is constructed of a durable cast iron sleeve and runs for up to 12 hours on a 6.6 gallon (25 L) gas tank, keeping you powered through the day with built-in fuel gauge, automatic low oil shutdown, and GFCI outlets.

Living in Central Florida has some advantages. 30 minutes to the Beach, an hour to the attractions which include Disney. We enjoy practically year round sunshine with relatively few freezes. Having said that, there is one disadvantage that can be quite a life changing event. Of course I’m speaking of Hurricanes. I have been through some major storms in my life. 2004 was a whopper where 4 hurricanes crossed central Florida in 3 months time. It was devastating.

Naturally, with the storms, comes the loss of power. There are a few creature comforts that you instantly appreciate when you lose power. Cold water is a much needed requirement and hot showers. Having a generator can be quite a convenance and a gigantic pain at the same time.

When you own a generator, there are considerations that you must address when operating. Gasoline and the ability to obtain and store, power cords and re-fueling the generator at 2 or 3 in the morning to keep the portable air conditioner going. After several major hurricane events, my wife and I decided to pull the trigger on a natural gas, whole home generator to eliminate all the fuss.

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