interiors

I've never been a sports fan, and for the past 30-plus years, fitness-oriented, even getting certified as a personal trainer at one point. On the other hand, I grew up playing, informally as a boy, many sports, and I can still enjoy watching almost anything, even the barbaric. That said, being a fan is not particularly healthy, but if you insist on being a follower and watcher, one could choose something not harmful to its participants, or even better, something that is life-enhancing for the payers, and maybe for yourself, if you decided to be a participant. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/29/magazine/i-quit-watching-football-because-it-harms-players-can-i-still-keep-up-with-my-team.html#commentsContainer&permid=30377551

#1 I've read Educated by Westover, so one immediately realizes that, of course, institutions saved her, although the people she left behind would strongly disagree. Westover's isolated Mormon parents hated all manner of organization, even the Mormon church itself, not just the government and medicine, and Tara had to leave that backward culture, to embrace education and academia, to finally grow. Nothing has changed. We still see the people of that world as backward, and the only way forward as leaving it behind. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/01/opinion/vance-westover-trump.html?comments#permid=30426296 #2 @Terry McKenna - I can empathize, since I have a similar story, my father died when I was 12, my sister 10, back in 1972, left with a stay-at-home mother with little real-world skill. We received Social Security and VA benefits until we were 21 or so, eventually curtailed by Reagan, but they kept the family middle class - my mother still worked 50+ hours per week, f...

Acquiring doesn't feel nearly as good as the thinking and planning that goes into deferred purchases. If all your purchasing is short-term, then you will need a continual refresh on your consumption, and even then, it will often be met with a feeling of loss, as people often overestimate how much pleasure they will derive from something. With items like vacations and purchases, the planning and thinking will give you most of the pleasure, without the downside of the quick rush. As for pleasure, enjoying the peace and serenity of space and clean can certainly be greater than the enjoyment of purchases. Also, with purchases, there are the downsides of clutter and regret, for bad purchases. I've never watch Ms. Kond's video, but it is not rocket science; keeping things clean does not take much: - Don't buy what you don't need, and in this case, love. - Generally, upgrade your items with better, rather than accumulating more items - Make regular purges, giving away o...

#1 Honestly, the most important aspect is not purchasing bad items in the first place, but eventually, even well thought out purchases need replacement. For decades, I've followed the rule that one person's junk is another's treasure, particularly considering our very unequal world in NYC, at one time using Freecycle to give away items, eventually finding it easier to use Craigslist. For the most part, it has worked out well but depends on the item, but almost always, there are takers. If it is electronics, there are often way too many people, so I follow a triage system. First, the ad, always with a good description and picture, requires specifying they supply a reason they need this item. It is not to be lurid or cruel, but if I am giving away an old computer, I need to know that it is going to a good cause. Yes, I could be fooled, but I try to be discerning, children, poor, disabled, etc. If there is no reason, it gets ignored. If it is simply for selfish reasons - ...

Research in gender at least as far back as the 80's, where I remember reading about it, would have shown that men who were more mixed in their gender role outlook, having an even mix of feminine and masculine qualities were happier, more likely to be satisfied socially and sexually, and more attractive to women as compared to traditional men. Although the concept has gotten bad press, as when the press described Michael Jackson's non-sexual persona as androgynous, thereby smearing men with balanced sex roles, it is still a better option for men and for women. Little has changed since then, except that traditional male orientation has been found to be in many ways harmful. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/19/opinion/sunday/toxic-masculinity.html?comments#permid=30249130 Granted, we have a moderately traditional culture so many of the expectation will not go away any time soon, if ever, but the bad impulses can be tamed. We need to create a better variant, something that reje...

#1 Like many of the commenters here, I have been working out, primarily aerobically, for over 30 years, so feel get a certain amount of 'feel good' emotions from reading this, but almost immediately wanted to say, yes, but strength training helps with the quality of life and maintaining function. Sincerely, I have a strong bias against the world of strength training, being so gender-lopsided, too much inhabited by traditional men, but my aerobic work, when I am not including strength training into my routine, includes activities that require power and strength, the cross country ski machine and the rowing machine, respectively. In the end, we likely get some benefits more from aerobic activity, and some aspects better from strength training, but in the end, both matter if one wants to maintain long-term well-being. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/12/well/move/is-aerobic-exercise-the-key-to-successful-aging.html?comments#permid=29715193 #2 Why do so many people have ...

Article: https://www.treehugger.com/economics/tech-replacing-liberal-arts.html #1 The death of the humanities and the social sciences in our current social environment is partially overblown but also disheartening. The idea that education is for making money in a career is a decrepit, poor attitude. Greater to have the ability to learn what one loves, what one enjoys, and what will help the world. I have had different majors and interests, covering computers, social sciences, finance, and medicine, and have worked in technology for over 25 years. That said, although I enjoy my work and sometimes code on my own time, it is much more rewarding to visit museums and the arts, take long walks and workout, and spend time with friends. My feeling is, and I think this is supported by the US's level of conservatism and inequality, that the focus on earnings is a result of Republican politics driving people down to the lowest common denominator. Yes, technology can help the world but...