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February 7, 2025 – The Fourth Turning, Chapter 5

February 7, 2025 /

If you are struggling to keep up, you got a break this week with the chapter only a couple of pages long. My feeling is just because it is short that doesn’t make it clear. In fact, I am really grooving on the book and the theory but this chapter makes no sense at all. Even the definitions seem to have conflicting opinions about the meaning.

Chapter five is all about the Gray Champion. The origin of the name comes from a short story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1835. The story takes place in colonial Boston (1689) and is about a much disliked Governor Andros. The Gray Champion is an unknown, unnamed character that stands up to Andros and his troops as well as warns the rest of the people about the ills of letting Andros proceed.

Strauss and Howe tend to take a more recent view of the Gray Champion. That is a person that stands up to the status quo. In the story, he represented the Puritan ideals which were directly opposed by the British monarchy and the colonial system. Theoretically, the Gray Champion would re-appear whenever Puritan values were threatened. Strauss and Howe specifically mention Paul Revere and John Brown as an examples of that. The Gray Champion is the harbinger of the forthcoming crisis.

A more common interpretation of the Gray Champion is an individual that leads through crisis. Names that we would all recognize are George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and F. D. Roosevelt. What is important about this version is that these are all individuals that are not born of the Hero generation but lead the Heros through the Crisis.

I didn’t find out the second definition until I was researching the Gray Champion to write this. That definition seems to make more sense in terms of the overall theory because I cannot fathom as to why a Gray Champion would be required to initiate a crisis. But if I really try, maybe I can take a stab at it like the difference between WWI and WWII.

Make no mistake, both were horrific events. The reason WWII was the crisis and not WWI is several fold. The first being WWI created WWII by the settlement that was reached and the punitive restrictions placed on Germany as a result of the war. The second being is that WWI sort of happened. It was Rube Goldberg of assassination and alliances that set the war into motion. As a result, there was no real warning or concern about a building conflict. It was a war that grew as time went on (much more like an unravelling).

I am not totally sure who the Strauss and Howe Gray Champion is in WWII, but maybe it is Winston Churchill. He was certainly instrumental in holding the line against Germany and dragging the United States into the war. Even with that, I am not clear why a Gray Champion is required if the crisis is unavoidable. Maybe it is more of a coincidence rather than a requirement?

Strauss and Howe stress that a war is not required for a crisis despite the fact that our most significant events and cycles have been bookmarked by such events. It was Howe’s speculation that the crisis might have begun with the 2012 financial crisis. If Howe was right, would that make Ron Paul the Gray Champion? Also, if that were true, how are the Millennials (Heros) fixing it? We will have to wait another 7-10 years to find out I guess.

Under the more common definition, I was reading that Trump might be considered the Gray Champion. I definitely see him as determined and visionary using strong arm tactics just like Lincoln and FDR. I personally do not want to give him that title but somebody is going to get it and it would actually fit right under Howe’s opinion of the crisis dates. By that token, we are there and he is the leader and what Trump is doing seems to have effect.

Just like I wrote about last week, even though Gen X is in the fall season and should be generally in power, the fact that the Baby Boomers are the stronger generation makes Trump an exceptional character. He is not of the Millennial generation but leading through crisis. The same would be true with Gen X in charge but the point is that everything fits the theory perfectly.

End Your Programming Routine: Yeah, so I don’t totally get it. I guess that I get what the Gray Champion does but I don’t get why it has to be. It makes me wonder who that figure actually is. It also makes me want to keep an eye open for that person. The most logical person would probably look like a conspiracy theorist, dismissed and discredited by the status quo. As always you have to end your programming and keep looking at the evidence if you want to be ready for the crisis.

February 6, 2025 – A New Year, New Gear Part 4

February 6, 2025 /

The beat goes on, the beat goes on. I got some new gear this week. It is a convoluted picture but one is a bike trainer and the other is a Maxpedition MOLLE utility pouch as seen on my pack. Neither is directly involved in my trip but both are necessary at this time for training purposes.

I am not a wimp by any means, but I am motivated by my comfort and safety. As a result, if I can’t get my daily practice walk in during the daylight hours it doesn’t happen. For this reason, I am adding the bike trainer. There is a second, good reason as well.

Last weekend I did my first trail hike. I would have liked to die based on my fitness level. I planned a 6.8 mile hike but little did I know that it took an extra mile to get to the trail head. Within the first 0.15 miles after climbing a large hill, I was already huffing and puffing. At two miles in I was thinking I wasn’t going to do the whole thing but I would see how far I could go. By mile three I was going from tree to tree to catch my breath. I made it on sheer will power but it proved to me that I have a long, long way to go.

Overall, I did 8 miles in four hours. The previous week I did 8.5 miles in 2 hours 40 minutes. Flat land walks after work are just not going to cut it. I need more, hence I ordered the bike trainer. I am hoping to add bike training as a cross training opportunity as well as a supplemental one when I can’t get out there.

I will admit that I just set it up and have done some test pedaling. Will it ultimately work? I guess we will have to see. I will be honest, this trainer has been something that I have wanted to get since I was in college when I dreamed of regularly mountain biking. I would like to do more bicycling and this seems like a way to stay in bicycling shape. Getting on a bike once a year is a good way to end up with sore contact points.

For those of you saying ‘that is fancy’ I would say maybe. But it was only $80 and you use the bike you already own. Not only that, the bike is not stuck on the trainer, it can be removed and ridden with one quick release connector. It also folds up and so you can ride you bike, bring it in and train. Certainly, you can pay a lot more money as this is no Peloton. While specialized equipment yield the best results, this is a low barrier of entry.

It is recommended that the back tire be changed to a slick tire. I figure, I will wear out the one that is on there before I do that because changing a rear tire is a hassle. I kind of don’t want to either because it is neutering my mountain bike. Who am I kidding, I haven’t mountain biked in thirty years, why start now. I have considered even buying a new bike and converting my current bike into a casual rider. That is if I actually start riding more.

The pouch is for the dog training remote. I don’t always take it but I should. Since I have started this effort in earnest, the dog starts going crazy when I put on my shoes and stalking cap after work. She is good and trainable, unlike me. I am working on not pulling like a sled dog on the leash and the training collar is the most effective tool for the job.

In the early fall I was training the heel command. She definitely seems to have that down. As a result I put the training collar down and incrementally she started pulling again. What I have discovered is that it is difficult to hold the leash and the remote at the same time. When I put it in my pocket, it is hard to access and is prone to errant triggering. That is definitely no bueno. So I thought I would try this.

As tacticoolly enamored as I am, I am drawn to all the gear and do-dads that company’s make to add to the MOLLE web system. This is no exception but it is my first. I am not even attaching it to a MOLLE web but that is OK. I just want a secure place to store my training remote that has easy access and won’t shock my dog carrying it.

End Your Programming Routine: Strictly speaking, the dog is not required for training and she is certainly not going on the hike. But, she loves it and there is no reason that if I am just walking around town I shouldn’t take her. If she is going, then so is the remote. The bike trainer is in lieu of joining a gym to extend my training hours and by proxy get as fit as I can before the hike. So, neither is needed for my trip but both are critical for my trip going well.

February 5, 2025 – Are You Ready… To Rumble?

February 5, 2025 /

Super Bowl is this weekend. Are you ready? Below were some wings I made for division championship weekend and I was so happy despite the fact that it is hard to enjoy with a Taiwanese exchange student and two boys that couldn’t give a rip about sports. In fact, when I was asking the exchange student about football he went on and on how he watched it with his last host family watching the Sponge Bob simulcast. I was silently praying that he wouldn’t ask it today as I wanted to watch the games.

The last time I did wings, I made them in the oven. I tried something that I had never done before and that was coat them in baking soda. They were fabulously terrible. I am sure I didn’t do a good job rinsing off the baking soda and it was just a bad aftertaste. In addition, I didn’t think it really lent anything to the crispiness of the wing either. I would say that it definitely turned me off to making wings for at least a year.

I’ll be honest, I don’t love wings. Making them at home never seems as good. But even eating out, I don’t pan longingly for them. I would much rather have fried chicken and proper dinner sides. But, I thought that I would pull out the stops for the exchange student since Super Bowl is my son’s birthday this year. On the menu is hot pot :(.

This time, I thought that I would actually break out the deep fryer. We bought this thing when we move to South Carolina thinking it was was going to endear us with the natives. What we quickly found out was that it takes a lot of oil and cleaning is a pain, read messy and expensive. When I broke it out to make wings it was probably the first time in 15 years. In fact it was so long ago, I cant even ever remember using it in this house and that has been over twenty years.

This time I really focused on the details. I defrosted the wings to room temperature. I aggressively seasoned them, dried the moisture and I lightly rolled them in flower. Holding my breath, 10 minutes later they looked like the picture. That was the look but how did they taste? They were perfect.

My wife and I have a debate about wings, dry or wet? I like my dry, meaning not overly sauced. The light flour dusting soaked up the sauce but the frying meant that they were impervious enough to not get soggy. This is exactly how I like my wings.

This is what I learned. Baking wings is fine but will never get the right texture. For that, they must be fried. As a result, this process is a lot of work and not cheap. Honestly, if you have a wing place that you like then you would be time and money ahead to buy wings rather than make them. The only real justification that I could see to make your own is if you have some sort of dietary restriction. A distant second to that would be a particular sauce combination that is not commercially available.

While I believe that my wings were superior to any that I could buy, they were not four to five times better based on my effort/cost versus ordering. Also, as suspicious as I am of the food industry I don’t think what I made were any healthier than commercially available options. To each his own. If you want to have the best wings at the Super Bowl party, fry them.

Since the fryer was already going, I went ahead and threw some french fries in as well. I didn’t realize that it only took two minutes rather that the twenty in the oven. Once again, they were the consistency that you would expect from a drive through, not at home. I decided that the fryer still has a limited role in the kitchen and now dreaming of some fish tacos.

End Your Programming Routine: What drove me today was getting ready for Super Bowl. Look at your recipes so you can shop tomorrow, not Sunday. Some things need time to defrost or marinade and it is a bad time to find out two hours before it needs to be on the table. Mise en place is not just for the kitchen but also getting ready for the event. As much as I dislike the home kitchen fryer, sometimes there is no substitute for doing it right.

February 4, 2025 – The Cost of Stem Cell Transplant

February 4, 2025 /

I anticipate being brief today because a picture is worth a thousand words. I believe that I mentioned this earlier last year, but for the sake of clarity: a stem cell transplant would not be performed without insurance approval. That was all pre-approved before we went through all of this last summer.

I brought it up, so I might as well give a quick overview for context purposes. My wife had an Autologous Stem Cell Transplant. This is the most common form put into practice (I have to admit that I don’t know much about the other types). The theory is that the oncologist is going to kill the cancer first, like a first time diagnosis. If that goes well, then you go through the transplant process.

This consists of high dose chemotherapy, harvesting your own stem cells, then putting them back into you when the high dose chemo is complete. The purpose would be to reboot your own immune system. This is accomplished by getting good stem cells post chemotherapy, killing everything and then starting over with the good cells. The autologous part means that you are the donor for the stem cells. I have to believe that other types use different donors, but not 100% sure.

While the process is fairly effective, the risk is not from the procedure itself but the secondary effects. Those would be infection due to lack of immune system, stroke from high blood pressure from all of the medications, dehydration from side effects and failure to thrive through eating, drinking and mobility.

It is imperative to be near the treatment center with high dose chemotherapy. Some sessions took up to six hours to complete. By the time it is over, the requisite hospital stay of 7-10 days is required and if you went through it you would agree. After that, the follow-up treatment is pretty minimal. Our staying in Portland was a function of how far we lived from the treatment center (a requirement). To be honest, I am glad that we did.

When you look through the pages and pages of the Explanation of Benefits (EOB) statement, you would see all of the activities for this event. This is not the total cost but it is pretty close. You have lodging fees, plus food and incidentals. In our case, the lodging was reimbursable so that was net zero. The only additional cost really was the convenience food or unconventional packaging.

I thought that it might be interesting to show what a major medical event would actually cost. I know that one day we will probably all have one but unless you are actively caring for someone you don’t get an opportunity to really understand this. I found it interesting anyway.

End Your Programming Routine: OK, I am going to leave cancer for good (unless it comes back). I want to count my blessings that it has been a stable and calm six months. I am doubly thankful that insurance covered the process completely and disability handled the loss of income. If you have to go through this, it couldn’t have been much better than this. God must be looking out for us which means there has to be a greater purpose from this event. I will keep my eyes open.

February 3, 2025 – People, Calm the ‘F’ Down

February 3, 2025 /

You have probably heard the saying ‘What is old is new again.”. Well, today is no exception. With people freaking out about the new administration, I try to make the argument that you shouldn’t be so concerned just because wasn’t your guy. Conversely, I don’t think you should be jumping up and down if it is your guy. I think that you will see what I mean if you give it a listen.

January 31, 2025 – The Fourth Turning, Chapter 4

January 31, 2025 /

We are literally mid-winter around here. We are also supposed to be entering winter in the seasons of the saeculum. This chapter is all about the seasons. It covers the major categories of what defines and aligns the period. It also goes through all of the seasons and the transitions of the American focused period. There was a lot here, so let us get into it.

Remember in US history class, it always starts at the beginning? Same with this theory. In this book, it actually goes back further than most US history text. The point is to understand the cycle and subsequent turmoil to actually create the America that we know. Where US history classes focus on the what, this book makes a huge effort on the why.

Like the previous chapters, we ultimately have to add some more labels. Don’t get mad, I didn’t do this but be darn sure that you get this or you will get lost in all of the comparisons. Last week I talked about the generations and their nicknames. This week we get schooled in those time periods. The heroes are still the heroes no matter what stage of the saeculum we are in.

  • First Turning – High
    • 0-20 years old: Profit (Baby boomer) generation
    • 21-40 years old: Hero (GI) generation
    • 41-60 years old: Artist (Silent) generation
    • 60+ years old: Nomad (Lost) generation
  • Second Turning – Awakening
    • 0-20 years old: Nomad (GenX) generation
    • 21-40 years old: Profit (Baby boomer) generation
    • 41-60 years old: Hero (GI) generation
    • 60+ years old: Artist (Silent) generation
  • Third Turning – Unravelling
    • 0-20 years old: Artist (Millenial) generation
    • 21-40 years old: Nomad (GenX) generation
    • 41-60 years old: Profit (Baby boomer) generation
    • 60+ years old: Hero (GI) generation
  • Fourth Turning – Crisis
    • 0-20 years old: Hero (GenZ) generation
    • 21-40 years old: Artist (Millenial) generation
    • 41-60 years old: Nomad (GenX) generation
    • 60+ years old: Profit (Baby boomer) generation

The list above highlights the generations and their positions during each turning. The thing that sticks out in my mind is that Gen Z is the hero generation. This means we need to pay particular attention to that generation because they will be the precedent setters for the next High and unity period. In this theory, the Nomad generation should be solidly in charge by this point but given the size of the Baby Boomers versus GenX, I still do not see that to be universally true.

This chapter also goes into the factors that comprise the individual turnings. Those would be things such as politics, foreign affairs, economy, family and society, population, social disorder and culture. All are fascinating and seem to hold true thirty years after the book was written. I cannot write about all of that, it is too much detail for a weekly summary so I encourage you to read for yourself.

One thing I can say for sure is that each of those factors has a high and a corresponding low. Generally speaking, that is a unifying period in a high to a completely decentralized period in the unraveling. This is to say that the opposite of the hero generation is the nomad generation and so tastes and expectations will keep riding this circle as the saeculum moves on. The same is true with the profits and the artists. The profits start the descent from the unity until the nomads complete it. Then the artist generation starts the unification until the heroes complete it (that is if the Millenials survived the ‘Tide Pod Challenge’).

But that is just it. Social media is unifying the culture in ways that we can even imagine. Yes the Tide Pod challenge was highly stupid. In my opinion so were flash mobs, Ice Bucket challenge and likewise VSCO girls and Tik Tok dancing. It is not the activity nor the platform but the desire to ‘go viral’ that seems to live inside of everyone. It the reason nobody cares people spew opinions to their circle of fiends. I guess that includes myself in that statement.

The thing that this book has really impressed on me is that I used to believe that generations rebelled from rebellion sake. When a society is in a high, what is the purpose of rebellion and destroying that? What I have come to understand is that the cycle is unavoidable. It is the destiny of each generation to fulfill their position in the respective saeculum.

I never expected to get this perspective realignment from this book. It has actually opened my eyes to be more accepting to all of these new ideas and practices that the new generations adopt. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t plan to embrace or even adopt most these new ideas but I can understand where they are coming from and will temper my tendency to denigrate them.

End Your Programming Routine: Next week you will get a break, the chapter is only a couple of pages long. Expect that I will be briefer than normal. Following that we will be reading and talking about the seasons in our current saeculum. That should be interesting to do a deep dive. If you are reading along with me, I am sure that you will agree that mastering the vocabulary is the critical step to really getting enriched by this though provoking theory.

January 30, 2025 – Roads of Our Fathers

January 30, 2025 /

It is a hike of sorts, but it is mostly on paved roads. I have done this twice now and that is a perimeter walk around the defunct military base called Camp Adair. It was a World War II training facility used to gear up soldiers primarily for the European theater. It was a POW camp for a short period of time and it was a nuclear radar facility up until 1969.

The extent of the base is much larger than what today is the official portion of the wildlife area. As an example, in the picture below the closest hill in the picture is actually a garbage dump. This was originally an artillery range which was deemed too dangerous to reclaim as productive land. In the surrounding area, unexploded ordinance is still occasionally found.

What today is the wildlife area was originally the heart of the base. You can see from the picture that I am standing on a paved road. This is an actual road around that heart. I am amazed that something paved over eighty years ago still looks this good. As you walk around the property, most of what remains are foundations and footings. There are still some structures, those contain the active facilities of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. By and large it is whatever the earth has reclaimed since it’s former mission.

I have lived within five to ten miles from this facility most of my life. It sits in-between where I grew up and where I live now. As I have been walking this loop, I have encountered hunters running dogs, I assume rabbit hunting. While I have fished the stocked pond a number of times, it makes me feel like I have not taken advantage of the hunting opportunities throughout my life.

This is one of those places that gets tons of multipurpose use. The newish archery range has been packed since it was built ten years ago. Mostly what I have known was the fishing pond. It is one of the rare places that people fish all year long. The most consistent year around users are dog and people walkers, My parents have picked blackberries, I see many apple trees and who knows what else can be found. The flat, paved roads make a leisurely bike paths. So, while it is a designated sporting property, many other people use it as well.

If you are paying attention, then the title might sound vaguely familiar. Yes, I modified it from the Clint Eastwood film ‘Flags of Our Fathers’. This movie is a historical recreation of the invasion of Iwa Jima. I think the point of the film is to highlight the grit of the figures instrumental in raising the flag on that island. For that reason, it is not purely rah rah patriotisms but showing the fabric and foundation of what people went through to complete an assigned task.

My grandfather was at training here. He was drafted where he promptly dropped out of college playing football for Oregon State University. Then he went to basic training at Camp White and finally here at Camp Adair before shipping out to drive Jeeps around both Europe and the South Pacific. As I walk around the perimeter, I cant help but wonder Is this a road that he was on eighty years ago?

For me, it is a little more emotional question than average. What I mean is not the street or the location but the exact pavement that was there. The level of fear and uncertainty that was awaiting deployment must have been palpable. He arrived in France in 1944 as the war was inevitably winding down. But, during those training years of 42 and 43 the outcome was far from determined.

With Europe in hand, they sent him to Okinawa to serve out his term. The Americans were heavily involved in rebuilding both theaters but Asia was almost exclusively American. Even today, Okinawa has the largest permanent military presence outside of the United States.

Was he a hero in the Iwa Jima sense? Probably not. He never talked about the war even when asked. The only story I ever heard from him was being offered wine in France. As the son of an violent alcoholic, he never drank. I had an assignment in US History to ask a Vet about their experience. I don’t think my teacher had much appreciation for the pain and trauma that war really had. I had three combat vets as immediate relatives and really don’t have a single story, just vague innuendo.

End Your Programming Routine: We have had a nice clear snap for the last several weeks. With the cold north wind blowing on me, I keep imagining this place filled with buildings, people and vehicles. I hear gunshots, not from rifles or artillery but a shotgun blast from a hopeful hunter. These are the roads of our fathers.

Log into YouTube to watch the whole movie “Flags of Our Fathers”. Link below.

January 29, 2025 – Grinders: The Real Truth

January 29, 2025 /

Coffee has been big in the Pacific Northwest for over forty years now. I remember when the first coffee shop opened in my small town in 1992. There was one in the town over that was a product of the hippies and enlightenment of the 1970s but it was shortly before the explosion of drive through joints and ten years before Starbucks came south.

We used to think that we were sophisticated when we would buy whole beans and grind them ourselves at the store’s communal grinder. Occasionally, someone would give you a bag of whole beans, now what? Conventional advice was get yourself a small grinder often used for spices. They were a two bladed operation and were inexpensive at about $15.

No, no, no my friends. It is true that a small grinder will turn beans into powder. But that is wrong for most brews. I should say, I am not a purest nor a snob. I am giving this advice for user satisfaction purposes, not religion. That coffee powder tends to pack dense in the grinder and fall out at the most inappropriate times when you are trying to sweep it into the basket. Instead spraying all over the counter and floor.

The coffee is often serviceable with lots of fines in the pot if using the mesh filter. They will also plug the mesh filter over time because the grind is so fine. We stopped using the small grinder because of the hassle. Instead we tried the ‘Grind and Brew’ type models with similar complaints because it is the exact same technology, just built into the machine.

I have been using the Baratza Encore for three years now. It is not cheap at $200 but it is cheap compared to most in the category. Something like this is what you need for coffee beans. I have no complaints about it from a coffee standpoint. I will admit that it was not properly assembled for the first year and I kept wondering why it was so bad with all of the good reviews. Shame on me, I didn’t have the bowl seated properly and it was actually wide open no matter how much adjustment I gave it.

This is what I have observed. I see very little difference between the highest and lowest grind settings in terms of coarseness. I have also seen different roasts gets different results. I suspect that the beans shatter as they are going through the mill and the more brittle, the more fine they become. As I said above, I am not a purest. The results are fine for me

Maybe a small grinder is really best as a spice grinder? Nope. If you have a volume of spices that you want to make powder, it works OK. Much of the powder gets stuck to the walls and top making it difficult to handle small quantities (less than a tablespoon). That all has to be removed for cleaning unless you like turmeric with your cinnamon and electric motors do not like submersion in water.

Truthfully, I have done very little spice grinding over the years because of what I have reported. But, after inheriting a mortar and pestle, I choose that method over the spice grinder. Rarely do I need spice powder. Mostly what I want are cracked, reduced and mixed spices. Powder can certainly be made with some effort but it is a whole lot easier to clean.

End Your Programming Routine: Is there a role for the small grinder? My answer is yes in something like a vacation rental where flexibility is more important than performance. But then again, who cleans and maintains that thing? Maybe just have the guest buy pre-ground coffee and spices. It is an inexpensive stepping stone to a proper coffee grinder and mortar and pestle. If I didn’t have one, I wouldn’t buy one but I will keep it because it takes a small footprint and has a niche place.

January 28, 2025 – Is This Appropriate?

January 28, 2025 /

Last weekend, I actually got all of my seeds out to see what exactly I had and what I might want to start. As I have alluded to previously, I probably will start plenty more than I need with an eye toward keeping one and seeing if I can give away the rest. Maybe more aptly said, hopefully I can get one to live.

To me what actually makes the cut are hot plants. That would be primarily peppers and tomatoes. I did discover that I have no tomato seeds left but I have bell, jalapeno and habanero so good to go there. I will probably spend the $2.50 or maybe go to the library for a free package of tomato seeds before I start.

More than anything, I want to get a thyme plant going so that also made the cut. I will also plant as much Italian basil as I can grow. These can take a pruning and keep on going but I love to get a huge bundle and make pesto for the freezer. It is fast and economic if I substitute walnuts for pine nuts and so much better than jarred without the weird preservative taste.

Finally, from my seed stash, I have a lot of purple coneflower (or echinacea) seeds. I love all the flowers in that group be it Black Eyed Susan or Daisy and other varieties. They are extremely tough and for me they are perennial (unless you dump four inches of soil on the top of the bed like I did). I would like to find a place to do some mass planting in my yard.

A new development came up about a week ago. My son purchased a lot of tobacco seeds as a birthday present. Within the Liberty and Freedom movement, I have heard of people growing tobacco as a form of tax freedom, so this was not revolutionary to me. But, it is probably not a good idea for my son to be promoting my involvement with tobacco.

I have a deep reverence for tobacco in relation to the historical fiber of this country. Between that and rum, it was a primary motivator the fiber of our cultural heritage. Both of those certainly come with their own baggage related to history as well but the fact remains that the brown gold was an instigator for fortune seekers and the liberty minded.

My view on tobacco is mixed. I do see it as a personal choice. It is definitely muddied by the industrialization of the product. The more fiddling, the more addictive, the more it becomes less of a choice. My personal opinion is that traditional use, say native use came without most of those trappings of crippling addiction and chronic health problems. This would be my same view of recreational marijuana.

Using a different carcinogen, somewhere, somehow a person was exposed to asbestos and that one event was life altering. I am not denying that recreational use of tobacco comes with risks. But I also wont deny that other culture’s relationship with smoking (primarily) has a much smaller chronic effect. That has much to do with diet and exercise and less to do with the habit.

This is not an argument for or against smoking. My own experience has told me that I could never be a day in day out smoker. I suspect that a large part of it is mental but ultimately, I found that I didn’t like how I felt after the initial buzz. It is just not a choice that I want to make.

All that being said, I think I am going to grow some tobacco this year. I would be curious if I could do it and I am sure that it would be a unique skill to know. Even though I have seen it growing in South Carolina and I have been around the processing, I think that there is probably a lot more to know.

There isn’t a ton of information on the seed package but it seems like different varieties are better for certain things. The indications are that certain varieties make better wrappers for cigars. Some make better fillers and so on. Given my limited space, I will probably try and grow something that might work as a pipe tobacco and probably one plant. From what I have seen, they are big plants.

There are a lot of plant sellers at the farmers market. I could definitely see a specialty booth where you are selling a cigar pack of plants with some information on how to process. I could easily see the novelty going for $50. But, that is getting way ahead of myself, it is just an idea of the potential. For this reason, I am going to give it a try.

End Your Programming Routine: I may not get tobacco to grow. I may give it my usual neglect in the ground and never make it to harvest. I also may never harvest or process. I did find myself wondering how much a pipe would cost and I found what seemed like a nice one to me at $75, imported from Italy. In my area, I was in shock that cigarettes cost $10 a pack. You do the math on that.

January 27, 2025 – On True vs. While True

January 27, 2025 /

I say pretty much what I want to say in the podcast. This concept is sufficiently nuanced and complicated that I won’t do it justice in a short paragraph. This is a programming concept and I do my best to distinguish how you would use each type. The reason that I think it is important is all about that ever sharpening logic saw that I keep pushing and working on myself.