Your cart is currently empty!
Do you know what your baseline is? What your default position/disposition is?
An experiment:
Turn off the television, unnecessary internet (including the news), social media, and music with words for 30 days. Take note of your disposition, energy, state of mind beforehand and after.
You have now gotten closer to your default disposition, you most likely can not only hear yourself, but hear yourself more clearly.
Another variation:
Only listen to positive, uplifting music (no cuss words, uplifting, joyous, no raunch, no violence) and/or music with no words and watch G-rated or PG-rated movies/tv shows for 30 days. (No social media, no unnecessary internet). Take note of your disposition, energy, state of mind beforehand and after.
You now see the effects of media on your mental, emotional, and spiritual health and your disposition.
A couple of days at home, and then back on the road again.
Hosea 3-6
Verse of note:
The more they increased, the more they sinned against Me: I will change their dignity to dishonor. They feed on My people’s sin offerings, And so they desire its iniquity.
Verse of note:
And a people that is without sense must stumble.
Evening edit:
Verse of note:
Hear this, O priests, Attend, O House of Israel, And give ear, O royal house; For right conduct is your responsibility!
Verse of note:
Then they will go with their sheep and cattle To seek the Lord, but they will not find Him. He has cast them off: [Because] they have broken faith with the Lord, Because they have begotten Alien children. Therefore, the new moon Shall devour their portion.
Verse of note:
For I desire goodness, not sacrifice; Obedience to God, rather than burnt offerings.
Away for the weekend.
I’m in the mood to vent a bit. I have been a fan of Apple’s products not since the beginning but for a long time. I still want a classic iPod, I never wanted an iPhone but I loved my MacBook. I am a fan, but an uncompromising fan.
What I loved most about their products was their ease, they said “it just works” and it did. Everything was seamless and worked in the background, like a kind of second nature. Now it was still tech so it glitched from time to time but for the most part it worked and it worked well.
For a while now, I don’t know when it started, things have not been working this way. Not only that but the designs are uninspired, they are dropping new products when there is no need for it, it seems like things are done just to say they’ve done something new or different—not because it’s helpful or will make people’s lives better, and no one who discusses these things seems to want to talk about it. (I can count the number of thoughtful critical/negative articles about Apple on one hand and they’ve all been on the same site. It’s almost like they’ve all agreed to act like it’s still the early 2000’s and everything is innovative and exciting).
Like I said before I enjoy Apple, and I want no parts of Google. But my feelings and thoughts aren’t purely selfish. I really thought Apple was great. It wasn’t afraid to take chances, it wasn’t afraid of risk, and it was a truly interesting company or at least it seemed that way.
Apple was that rare breed of company that was able to be a visible example of that elusive combination of genius and success (which doesn’t happen a lot). I’d hate to see that go away.
Which is why I can’t just act like it’s 2007 and it’s still brand new, and everything is as great as it ever was.
*Yes I know that Apple has done some great things in the past years, I am not diminishing that, ie. the Apple Watch development has been truly fantastic even though it seems to be heading into nanny tech, and there have been a lot of great small changes (there is nothing wrong with small changes, except acting like they’re huge, amazing, brand new, innovative changes). That does not take away from what I’m saying. I’m talking about the overall everyday use of their products, the overall feel of their products, and their subsequent direction.
I was/am a big fan of internet radio. It’s no longer as easy to listen to (it used to come in iTunes). You could find anything from anywhere in those radio stations, every taste, every niche, even different genre combinations. I almost started a radio station myself.
Well one day I discovered a station that was just so perfect for me, I could put it on and let it rock, there was only one song that I could not stand. And even though it’s no longer as easy to listen to I was still able to find my favorite station (it’s been touch and go a bit lately on their website but it’s still live and it’s still jamming): Beach House Terrazza. (They have other stations, but Terrazza is my favorite).
One day someone said “what could be the most wonderful thing in the world to do?” And the answer came, “create a site dedicated entirely to cozy mysteries. Cozy Mystery List, pair with this.
I really do make the best hot chocolate if I do say so myself. Make some coconut milk using this recipe (can use canned coconut milk and even almond milk in a pinch, but the homemade stuff is the best), add the coconut milk to a small pan, heat it up with a a couple of tablespoons of cacao powder (depending on how chocolatey you want it), sweeten it with a bit of maple syrup (according to how sweet you want it), pour it in the mug of your choice and sip slowly.
And if you’re feeling a bit down, it is instant happy juice. I immediately feel better and uplifted when I drink it.
Ezekiel 37-40
Evening edit:
Verse of note:
[The man] explained to me: “The chamber that faces south is for the priests who perform the duties of the Temple; and the chamber that faces north is for the priests who perform the duties of the altar—they are the descendants of Zadok, who alone of the descendants of Levi may approach the Lord to minister to Him.”