Highlights of 2013

 Well, today’s the last day of 2013.  What a year it’s been!

 

I’m surviving and thriving, and so is my family.  Here are some highlights:

 

– had another spanking new BB

 

– got a closer relationship with my TT, older 2zi and other rellies

 

– Unfortunately, my pop’s health has gone downhill, as he lives in an extended care seniors’ home

 

– quit Xianity altogether, with a few nightmares (seriously!) and mourning the loss of morning prayers and friendships . . . but in the end, with joy and thankfulness!

 

– spent a few months looking into New Atheism and Skepticism, before rejecting them as unreasonable and downright stupid

 

– officially adopted Naturalistic Pantheism as my foi de choix

 

– looked into Deep Green Resistance and made the same conclusion as with NAs & Skeps

 

– no driving at all, except the one day last month my friend lent me his car.  I was so surprised that I hadn’t lost my Indy 500 skills!  I guess with over 20 years of polluting the atmosphere, I still “have it”, in terms of driving talent.  But now, I’m converted to saving this planet, and kicking the asses of those doing the opposite!

 

– no cell phone, except for surfing the Net at McDonalds and Tim Hortons, recording, taking pics, learning languages.  How sweet it is to not be bothered by the riff-raff always calling with unimportant matters ; )

 

– no Internet at home, very nice too.  Ended up going to McDonalds almost every day, and my fat belly now proves it!

 

– made some failed attempts at new friendships, one fellow being a counter-culture Biblicist, and the other an eye doctor exiled from America after ripping off the state goverment 10s of 1000s of $$$.  Well, for me at least, live and learn . . . 

 

– had a wonderful bonding time with co-workers at my present job

 

– did this blog (Blogger & WordPress)

 

– travelled nowhere

 

– went to the local parks and forests a million times

 

– learned to read Punjabi, and memorised at least 10+ basic phrases.  Hindi is slowly coming along too.  Watched a kazillion Bollywood and Punjabi DVDs at home, and flicks in the nearby cinema.

 

– read up on Sikhism

 

– rode my bike to Richmond 2x and Aldergrove.  Walked 1/2way, then ran 1/2way from Guildford to Walnut Grove, pushing a BB stroller with a carseat on my back, then on top of the stroller.  Crazy, I know.

 

– cycled, ran, walked, bussed it everywhere.  Oh yeah, bummed a few rides off family and friends too.  

If I remember anything else, I’ll add it later.

Cheers & happy NY!,

 

Brandr

My Blogging Strategy

In my previous blog ¨Sleepless In Turtle Island¨ on both Blogger and WordPress, I ended up getting 1000s and 1000s of hits. However, one thing bothered me: when I checked out my Stats sections, it seems that most people were simply Googling the cool pics I had stolen from other sites I had found through Google. This was going against my goal of people actually reading my stuff. So, in my present series of blogs, I´m making an effort to only upload photos that I have taken myself. So, my theory is, at least the page hits will be because people are consuming and hopefully enjoying the content I´ve written. We will see how it goes . . .

Cheers,

Brandr

E-mail me at
thorsblade888 AT gmail DOT com

The ¨Wild¨ Wall outside of Beijing, bordering on Hebei province, China
late winter 2006, I think. Check it out if you have a chance!

Topics I’d Like to Blog About

 

Here’s a list of topics I’d like to write or lecture on now and in the future:

Babies & Child Rearing 

– the joys and tears of raising a baby and a teen

Books

– book reviews, ideas, etc.

Christianity

– its strengths and weaknesses

– its history, esp the 2 streams: social justice & Empire/oppression

– its mythology that Evangelicals and other Bible literalists deny

Climate Change / Environmental Risks

– how the planet is getting fracked up, and how Mother Nature will take her revenge

Culture

– especially Chinese, Western, First Nations, etc.

Empire

– the globalised Empire, handed down from the British, Americans, etc.

Fatherhood

First Nations

Marriage

Movies

– reviews, ideas, etc.

Music

– rock, heavy metal, folk, rap, world music, etc.

Politics

– especially how that Fascism is spreading throughout the world in our post-Cold War times

Spirituality

– Agnosticism, Pantheism, Atheism, indigenous spirituality around the world

Violence Vs. Non-Violent Resistance

– the Gandhi/MLK Jr Approach Vs. the Malcolm X/Che Guevara Approach

 

I’ll add to the list as I go along . . .

Cheers,

Brandr

Email me at

thorsblade888 AT gmail.com