It seems there may be another reason for the dry spell on this blog. I may be thinking too much about what other people think.

Now, this isn’t so much about whether specific people approve of me or will make fun, but more about my not wanting to misrepresent my opinions or draw snarky comments that I technically agree with but which broadly miss the point. All I’m doing here is fieldwork, gathering anecdotal data, trial-and-error… not rigorous lab testing. Spaghetti is being thrown at walls to see what sticks. If it turns out oil-based paint helps more pasta stick than acrylic, that’s useful to know, but I don’t care in this venue about the interaction of starches and surface tensions that make it stick. I am interested in that, yes, just not in the scope of this blog, and I have a nagging feeling that if I don’t keep reiterating that, someone will think I’m some wild-eyed, New Age, drink-any-KoolAid-that-comes-along, crystal-naming* kind of person with no filters at all.

Well. So what if they do? I’m mainly interested in fostering discussion and finding out what’s useful in day-to-day, real world application or what’s interesting to consider. I’m very good at compartmentalizing, and this is the compartment where I’m exploring to see what’s useful even if I don’t know for sure how it works or, in some cases, even if I’m pretty sure I know how some of it works but find it more interesting to get out of my own way. I love the logic and the science, but this is the “what if?”ing, the general view where it’s helpful to be comfortable with paradox in order to get more marrow out of a subject (or web of subjects). There’s a sort of disconnect/interplay between faith, practicality, and certainty that I believe a well-rounded person is able to dance with… and there’s an appalling arrogance to a point of view that assumes we have all the answers already. Flexibility is key. Besides, this is just fun. I want to talk about the stuff that we don’t often talk about.

It’s just a big spaghetti-throwing party here, folks. Grab a handful and start flinging.

(*Though I haven’t named any of them, I love my stones and gems. Back off my shiny rocks, Maynard! I’ll talk to my garnet if I want to. Nyah.)

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