1928 Daily Office Lectionary List
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Category Archives: Personal
I Need My Pain
Damn it, Bones, you’re a doctor. You know that pain and guilt can’t be taken away with a wave of a magic wand. They’re the things we carry with us, the things that make us who we are. If we lose them, we lose ourselves. I don’t want my pain taken away. I need my pain!
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier 1989
When the newly-christened starship Enterprise’s shakedown cruise goes poorly, Captain Kirk and crew put her into Spacedock for repairs. But an urgent mission interrupts their Earth-bound shore leave. A renegade Vulcan named Sybok, who has the ability to remove inner pain through suggestion, has taken three ambassadors hostage on Nimbus III, the Planet of Galactic Peace. Sybok’s ragtag army captures the Enterprise and takes her on a journey to the center of the galaxy in search of the Supreme Being.
Long term generator (or any small engine) storage
The Dog Poem That Made Johnny Carson Cry
Back in 1981, legendary actor James “Jimmy” Stewart, the star of “It’s a Wonderful Life” and too many other classics to list here, went on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” to share his hobby: poetry. The piece that Stewart read was titled “I’ll Never Forget a Dog Named Beau” about his golden retriever.
At first, the poem made Johnny and the audience laugh, but it had a very different effect in the end. Describing it can’t do it justice; it’s something you have to see — and feel — for yourself, so check out the video and read the text below.
Continue readingWisdom and Facts
The peace and love generation was good at neither
If only we baby boomers had been a bit more promiscuous, America wouldn’t be in this fix.
Instead, we blundered into an economic crisis of our own making — or rather not making. As in not making enough babies. (It turns out the peace and love generation was proficient at neither.) We started a long, disquieting, downward trend in baby-making.
According to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, America’s annual birthrate started dipping below “replacement-level fertility” rates way back in 1971. (The same year Disney World opened in Orlando. Coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not.)
Demographers calculate that a society requires 2.1 births for every woman age 15 to 45 to maintain a stable population. Fall below the magic equation, the population shrinks, gets older and considerably more crotchety.
Since 2007, the decline has become precipitous. Nowadays, Americans are cranking out barely 1.6 children per woman, according to the CDC study. Just 3.8 million babies were born in 2020, the fewest since 1979.
These findings indicate that the great ongoing labor shortage crippling America’s economic recovery might well be attributable to this 50-year decline in fertility
My DIY Laundry Detergent
The DIY laundry detergent that I’m sharing today has been my go-to for about five years now. It’s easy to make, and it doesn’t irritate my skin as some other detergents do, like Tide. Oh, and did I mention that it makes nearly a year’s worth of laundry detergent for around $24 in supplies? I’ve made adjustments to the recipe over the years due to supply chain issues and haven’t noticed any issues. I have noted some changes below.
So here it is:
3 (5 oz) bars Fels-Naptha Laundry Bar [or Zote Laundry Bar]
1 (65 oz) box Mule Team Borax
1 (55 oz) box Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda
2 (16oz) box Great Value Baking Soda
2 (16oz) LA’s Totally Awesome Power Oxygen Cleaner
2 (21 oz) bottles Purex Crystals Fragrance Booster
Step 1 – Make Powdered Detergent
First, you’ll break down the bars of Fels-Naptha into fine pellets of laundry soap. The pieces need to be small enough that they will dissolve readily in your washing machine. I like to do this by using a cheese grater, then blending them in my food processor along with a few scoops of Washing Soda. (The Washing Soda keeps the laundry soap pieces from sticking to each other too much.)
Step 2 – Mix The Ingredients
Next, you’ll combine all the detergent ingredients. In my experience, the easiest way to do this is to use a couple of trash bags!
If you live in a humid area, like I do, make sure to choose an airtight container so that your detergent stays dry.
How Much Detergent Should I Use?
For a standard wash load, use 2 tablespoons of homemade laundry detergent.
For large or heavily soiled loads, use 2 1/2 tablespoons.
For small loads, use 1 1/2 tablespoons.
This detergent works perfectly in any washing machine, including high-efficiency machines! (Bonus HE Tip: Skip the dispenser and toss the detergent right into the washer!)
Notes:
Washing soda has a higher PH than regular baking soda. So if you want to make more eco-friendly laundry detergent, you can increase the washing soda and eliminate the borax.
Original recipe called for 2 (55oz) boxs of OxiClean, however, due to the pandemic and supply chain issues I no longer can justify the cost. I use 2 (16oz) cans of Dollar Tree’s Oxygen cleaner and notice no difference at all. It turns out that using a third of the original oxygen cleaner doesn’t white wash my cloths as much. Dollar Tree for the win!
Adding Purex Crystal is an easy way to give homemade laundry detergent a fresh and lasting scent. If you prefer to avoid fragrances, feel free to leave the crystals out! The detergent will work just fine without them.
Approx Cost Breakdown: (Walmart / Dollar Tree 6-27-22)
$3.27 – 3 (5 oz) bars Purex Fels-Naptha Laundry Bar
$5.47 – 1 (76 oz) box Borax
$4.17 – 1 (55 oz) box Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda
$0.72 – 1 (16oz) box Great Value Baking Soda
$2.00 – 2 (16oz) LA’s Totally Awesome Power Oxygen Cleaner – Dollar Tree
$7.94 – 2 (15.5 oz) bottles Purex Crystals Fragrance Booster
TOTAL: $23.57 [225oz – 90 loads]
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John Galt’s Speech from Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged”
For twelve years, you have been asking: Who is John Galt? This is John Galt speaking. I am the man who loves his life. I am the man who does not sacrifice his love or his values. I am the man who has deprived you of victims and thus has destroyed your world, and if you wish to know why you are perishing—you who dread knowledge—I am the man who will now tell you.” The chief engineer was the only one able to move; he ran to a television set and struggled frantically with its dials. But the screen remained empty; the speaker had not chosen to be seen. Only his voice filled the airways of the country—of the world, thought the chief engineer—sounding as if he were speaking here, in this room, not to a group, but to one man; it was not the tone of addressing a meeting, but the tone of addressing a mind.
“You have heard it said that this is an age of moral crisis. You have said it yourself, half in fear, half in hope that the words had no meaning. You have cried that man’s sins are destroying the world and you have cursed human nature for its unwillingness to practice the virtues you demanded. Since virtue, to you, consists of sacrifice, you have demanded more sacrifices at every successive disaster. In the name of a return to morality, you have sacrificed all those evils which you held as the cause of your plight. You have sacrificed justice to mercy. You have sacrificed independence to unity. You have sacrificed reason to faith. You have sacrificed wealth to need. You have sacrificed self-esteem to self-denial. You have sacrificed happiness to duty.
“You have destroyed all that which you held to be evil and achieved all that which you held to be good. Why, then, do you shrink in horror from the sight of the world around you? That world is not the product of your sins, it is the product and the image of your virtues. It is your moral ideal brought into reality in its full and final perfection. You have fought for it, you have dreamed of it, and you have wished it, and I—I am the man who has granted you your wish.
Continue readingPotential Tropical Cyclone One
“Rescued by Ruby” star put down after illness.
A Rhode Island dog whose inspiring story of going from shelter dog to lifesaving police K-9 became the subject of a recent Netflix movie has been euthanized.
State Police said Sunday K-9 Ruby was put down Friday following a “sudden, acute, and untreatable illness.” She was 11 years old.
Col. Darnell Weaver, superintendent of the state police, expressed gratitude for K-9 Ruby’s years of service.
“K-9 Ruby dedicated her life to serve the citizens of Rhode Island and make a positive impact on every person she ever interacted with,” he said in a statement. “She became a symbol of hope for all shelter dogs, showing the world what a shelter dog can do when just given love and the chance to shine.”
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