Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, Thoughts on December 15, 2025| Leave a Comment »
People often ask me what is the most effective technique for transforming their life. It is a little embarrassing that after years and years of research and experimentation, I have to say that the best answer is – just be a little kinder.
— Aldous Huxley
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Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, the writing life, Thoughts on December 13, 2025| Leave a Comment »
“The here and now is all we have, and if we play it right it’s all we’ll need.”
— Ann Richards
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Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, fandom, history, movies, star wars on December 12, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Here’s something fun for my fellow sci-fi nerds:
How the Written Word Evolved in ‘Star Wars’
The original Star Wars is covered with English signage and written words on displays, something that would change in the wake of the film’s blockbuster success. Both Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi would, with the confidence that audiences had accepted the galaxy far, far away, move away from putting English text on-screen, instead creating unique writing systems—reams of text that were not just left untranslated, but were never given meaning behind the symbology beyond the graphic design.
How that changed, and why, is actually a pretty fun read if you’re into that sort of thing. It’s also one of the many reasons why my first re-watch of the Star Wars re-release was repeatedly punctuated by me exclaiming, “Hang on just a minute!”
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Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, philosophizing, Thoughts on December 6, 2025| Leave a Comment »
“Be like the sun for grace and mercy. Be like the night to cover others’ faults. Be like running water for generosity. Be like death for rage and anger. Be like the Earth for modesty. Appear as you are. Be as you appear.”
― Rumi
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Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, frustrations, Thoughts on December 5, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Today’s minor bit of wisdom, gained from an hour standing in line at the post office with increasingly cranky people:
Try not to let someone else’s bad day ruin yours.
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Posted in Other, Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, heroes, inspiration, social science, Thoughts on December 4, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Why do we need heroes? To be better versions of ourselves.
Scientists Discover That People Act Way Better When Batman Is Present
After making a guy dressed as Batman stand around in a subway car, a team of researchers found that the behavior of people around him suddenly improved the moment he showed up.
I call this the “see better, be better” school of human behavior. And I like it!
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Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, inspiration, persistence on December 3, 2025| Leave a Comment »
I taught an octopus piano (It took 6 months)
This video is refusing to embed for some reason, but if you are impressed by clever and creative displays of persistence (by humans and others!), it’s worth checking out. Start at the 3:00 minute mark if you want to go straight to the training process, or at 15:00 if you want to skip to the piano performance.
Note: this video contains a lot of swearing. Which, as someone who has trained their cat to sit and jump (but definitely not play an instrument), I completely understand!
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Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, charity, donations, inspiration, kindness on December 2, 2025| Leave a Comment »
“There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.”
― John Holmes
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Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, hope, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers on December 1, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Now this is exactly what I need on a Monday.
How John Green Fights Despair Every Day | The Interview – YouTube
I mean the problem with hope is that it feels like a very easy word. You know, it feels like very convenient and sort of kumbaya. But I’m interested in the kind of hope that holds up to scrutiny. The kind of hope that does hold up to the worst things that happen to us, that holds up to our worst days. That’s the kind of hope that I’m interested in.
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Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, fresh perspectives, Thoughts on November 22, 2025| Leave a Comment »
For whatever reason, today I’m walking around seeing everything as component parts.
For example: instead of seeing the comfy red chair in my office, I’m seeing that chair (so comfy!) with all of the materials that went into it lined up in a row. The tree that provided the wooden legs, the cotton growing in a field before being harvested, carded, spun, dyed and woven, the metal ore that needed to be mined, processed and extruded to make the wire frame, the stuffing made of… you know, I don’t know what it’s made of so let’s insert “amorphous, fluffy cloud of probably polyester fill” here.
It’s weird but also fun, like looking at a room upside down. Suddenly, everything is interesting and new.
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