Posts under ‘General’

“What do you blog about, Mike?”
I’ve been asked this several times, and my answer generally goes something like this: “Whatever I damn well please.”
I blog about things that interest me, period. If they interest you, too, you’ll keep reading. If not, you’ll wander off in search of something more interesting. Sure, I could separate out [...]

The snow came in heavy last night, resulting in a school closing today and a day off for me. With tonight’s high winds, I may even have the day off tomorrow, too.
The trick, then, is capitalizing on the bonus time and being productive with other projects. Today I decided to get back to work on [...]

I’m stealing this video from Matthew Apsokardu’s Ikigai martial arts blog because I think it’s very much worth watching. It discusses human longevity, and the things that lead to longevity in some of the longest-living groups in the world.

Matt has a lot of good discussion of the video, and he ties the video to martial [...]

I’ve written 3500 posts since starting this blog many years ago.
Rock on. \m/

When I die, I want my cremains turned into pencils.

I don’t want the urn, though. I’d like the Wife to divvy up the pencils, maybe keep a few for herself, but distribute the rest to my kids and my friends.
I want my kids to use them in the future, to create with them. I want [...]

Evileye Books has announced the winners of the The Pack: Winter Kill Twitter contest they ran last week, and due to ties, they’ve decided to award books to 18 winners! The following Twitter users should contact Evileye via direct message to @evileyebooks or should email thepack@evileyebooks.com. Put your Twitter username in the subject line and [...]

I’m drowning.
I’ve got some kind of cold that’s settled into my chest, and it leaves me winded just walking up the stairs. I’ve been absolutely buried at work, and it’s left little time for just about anything else, including writing, which I really, really need to be doing right about now.
I’ve been lugging a printed [...]

“Is that you, John Wayne? Is this me?”
I just finished a long night of karate and I’m not sure I’m ever going to stop sweating. It started in class, and it was Sensei’s birthday so he decided we’d get in a really good workout and do some sparring. Two and a half hours later, most [...]

How to Spot a Good Cigar
Originally uploaded by MikeOliveri.
This new batch of Romeo y Julieta Reserva Reals I purchased is killing me.
Not because they taste bad or anything like that, but because they take so damn long to smoke. The sticks in this box have averaged two hours a piece, which keeps me on the [...]