On why our vegetable garden is such a disaster this year . . .

January 15, 2013

...–forgetting that urban homesteading is not about self-sufficiency—to chase self-sufficiency is a fool’s errand. I should be happy just to have a few good salads and be thankful that I can buy good vegetables at a local farmer’s market. I don’t think self-sufficiency is a good goal even on a large piece of land. We humans are meant to work together, hang out in groups and share goods and knowledge. I’ve got some talented vegetable growing neighbors...

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The Practical Side of Philosophy

Mr. Homegrown

August 1, 2016

Thoughtstylings

11 Comments

...both weld and understand a logical or ethical argument. Attempting my own self-study program hasn’t been easy. There’s been a whole bunch of $50 words to learn and I can’t say that I’m anywhere near the point where I can explain key concepts. It would have been better to have started this program earlier in my life and integrated with all the other things I had to study in school. But as to how to get that self-study program going, I recently fou...

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Lehigh Valley Workshop’s Infinite Subversion

Mr. Homegrown

March 29, 2023

Thoughtstylings

6 Comments

...o make a profit, and ultimately give up, casting blame on everyone but yourself, end up back in some mindless company riding the spreadsheet fellatio train and go home staring at your tools wondering what could have been and waiting for the sweet embrace of nothingness. LVW appeared in the social media woodworking firmament as a bright fiery object and I wonder what where his trajectory will go: towards chain reaction or implosion? LVW is smart an...

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My Morning Routine: Tarrying With the Negative

Mr. Homegrown

February 2, 2024

Thoughtstylings

5 Comments

...lize an inherently unstable system. If you take the brakes off, the system self destructs. My further two cents: because of ecological limits, even with government stabilization, the whole thing self destructs in the end, but I digress. Žižek explains ideological systems via the Lacanian concept of the Big Other, “a hypothetical observer watching our every action and conversation, whose demands we obey and for whom we perform.”(1) This book was wr...

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The Root Simple Workshop

Mr. Homegrown

June 22, 2016

Design

5 Comments

...bright orange/white/black color scheme. Our friend Lee Conger noticed the labeling on these cabinets that point to our overly eclectic interests: It’s like our heads need to be KonMaried! And fencing purists will note that the label should be “epee parts” not “swords.” Our three bikes and cycling accoutrements are kept locked to a pole. Always lock your bikes, kids, even when they are in the garage! The one last touch I want to add to the worksho...

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