Microsoft Word automatically converts a double dash to an em dash too

State projects historically spent a lot of time and energy trying to convince people to settle in permanent settlements. Love James C. Scott’s Seeing like a State on that topic.

Since it’s applied as a topical I’d like to guess they won’t make it toooo ridiculously priced compared to putting implants into each hair follicle

Philosophy is excellent food for thought, working through a MOOC course (MIT/Yale?) and doing the prescribed readings might strike your fancy. Happy to give more specific recs if you have some existing curiosity about a topic. Side note that it’s difficult to find people to talk to online about serious philosophical topics, the options I’ve seen (discord groups, facebook groups) usually aren’t very engaging but the reading and lectures and contemplation are engaging on your own imo.

Watch ancient history documentaries like the Fall of Civilizations or History with Cy channels on youtube (Fall of Civilizations is also/originally a podcast if you prefer). Whenever I am feeling empty of interesting thoughts this is my go to. When I watch frequently I constantly find my thoughts combining and recombining history with my current experience in a way that feels awfully close to intellectual stimulation. I also find it gives some mildly comforting perspective on current events.

Built to purpose gadgets. Getting into arduino or similar as a hobbyist can be intellectually engaging. The process of identifying something in your space you could enhance then drafting and executing a plan (including some basic programming) is kind of like a puzzle. Building things you don’t need like an LED based checklist for chores that resets every day, a pedestal that spins to give a house plant even sunlight, or a solar powered bird house might be a fun challenge.

Edit to add that if you live near a university professors will usually let you unofficially audit their class if you’re interested in a topic and have time during the week.

That’s wild!!

Find a nice waterfall and build a hut by it

Flow charts or bullet lists as visual aid. The higher position your interlocutor is in the simpler you should try to keep your point. If you need their input on a project only bring them one A vs B decision at a time.

…it is our interest and our task to make the revolution permanent until all the more or less propertied classes have been driven from their ruling positions, until the proletariat has conquered state power and until the association of the proletarians has progressed sufficiently far – not only in one country but in all the leading countries of the world – that competition between the proletarians of these countries ceases and at least the decisive forces of production are concentrated in the hands of the workers.

I’m sure the office has just as much fresh air circulating as the stables -_-

That’s ridiculous and invasive they turned the mask thing into a tribunal on your private habits outside of work.

See, now you have something useful to leave for the next generation

I consume both those things frequently, I’ll have to try it! I switched to freshly grinding my nutmeg earlier this year and will take any excuse to try it in different things.

Bay leaves in savory dishes

Nutmeg on/in sweet things

Fancy pickles are always such a disappointment to my taste buds. I do appreciate a fancy cheese occasionally.

I’ll give that a try next time! I’ve sort of made progress on a similar technique for social anxiety (stop, breathe, tell myself no one is spending serious thought on judging me).

I have definitely improved on the ‘saying no’ tactic you mentioned or the similar ‘remove yourself from the scenario’ one. Luckily my workplace gives me relatively broad control over my time as long as I’m meeting deadlines and such so it’s more a problem I run into with family or friends. I prefer to run errands and even go on day trips alone and have to fight my preferences to lead a normal social life/be a reasonably active member of my community (which I do value, at least theoretically).

I did regular meditation for a year and a half or so (now more intermittent) but never mastered the kind you can do with your eyes open. I do enjoy a walking meditation though.

In the beginning, I paid basically nothing for the properties. A roommate’s monthly rent at the city house covered that house’s mortgage, and a renter of one of the cabins covered most of the rural property’s mortgage, with my disabled single mother’s meager amount of government assistance just about covering the rest.

This guy sounds like a gem of a human

Definitely wasn’t disagreeing with you haha

“I’m a liberal on health care because I believe it is a birth right of every human being—not just some damn privilege to be meted out to a few people. But when it comes to issues like abortion, amnesty, and acid, I’m about as liberal as your grandmother. I don’t like the Supreme Court decision on abortion. I think it went too far. I don’t think that a woman has the sole right to say what should happen to her body. I support a limited amnesty, and I don’t think marijuana should be legalized.”