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Autism can be Violent
Most days I like the idea of having more kids. Today is not one of those days. I used to tell them, “No blood, no bruises? Drive on!” This week there have been blood and bruises. My kids are not inherently violent but they are also not inherently good at regulating themselves so that they…
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Falling Soda Cans
It has been a hard day for everyone in my family. But decisions have been made and it’s affecting everyone around those decisions. So I’m a little edgy today. But this post isn’t about our big problems, it is about a very specific small one. I have been able to successfully ration soda for the…
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Free Markets and Losers
Stephanie and I are arguing about capitalism again. We are both bad at making and saving money. She doesn’t see that as a problem while I do. And she keeps saying I argue that “Capitalism is true.” I think it’s a strawman. My argument is that capitalism is effective in producing things that I desire,…
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Cold Days Ahead
I got dressed and walked to the local gas station with my youngest son. It was cold and dark. It is only going to get colder and darker. Christmas lights are going up in earnest and we should have snow pretty soon. Winter isn’t my favorite season, but I choose to live where the cold…
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Black Friday 24
The next commercial holiday in the USA is Christmas. The annual buying spree begins with Black Friday. People trample each other for sales on new stuff the day after claiming to be grateful for the stuff they already have. There’s a method to the marketing though. It is in the best interest of retail to…
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Thanksgiving 24
It’s a relatively typical day at home. We don’t do turkey, but three of my four sons are here, and they are having a good afternoon. We have a lot of reasons to be thankful. The furnace works, the refrigerator is full of food, the plumbing is decent, the electricity is on, and I obviously…
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A Product of my Generation
Like many in Generation X I was a solitary child. I have younger sisters but I was mostly expected to leave them alone while I was entertaining myself. I had a few friends here and there on the weekends and summer camp, but by and large I was allowed to take care of myself from…
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I Bought A Mug
I have a decent collection of coffee mugs and this is my newest addition. The verse I am choosing to take out of context today is the one in Doctrine & Covenants 89 about hot drinks. I brewed that last of my cocoa instead of coffee to break it in. I’m not supposed to have…
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Choices We Can Make
I am a believer in the concept of moral agency. This is primarily a religious view. The freedom to choose is baked pretty deeply into Mormonism. But another secondary reason it that it seems counterintuitive at best that humans would have evolved a sense that we have freewill if it were only an illusion. That…