Author: Rev. Joe Dirt

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Hopefully my Spanish sounds better

The other day while speaking with one of my long term Spanish tutors via Skype I made the comment that my Spanish was too poor to have been studying the language for as long as I have.

A few days later he sent me his video.  The comment basically translates as “imagine you have been studying English for 5 years and you ended up speaking like this guy.”

Of course he sounds like every other good old boy I have ever known in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Texas or Missouri.  One of my self-deprecating jokes is that I speak Spanish with a Southern accent, and it is not from the south of Spain.

Years ago I wrote a blog posting My Chinese Nightmare that was a take on this theme.

And so it goes.

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St. Louis Metropolitan Area- A Mixed Bag

The St. Louis metropolitan area is such a mixed bag. I bring this up due to a recent study that listed two St. Louis suburbs among best places to live in the US.

It placed the St. Louis suburb we live in, Chesterfield, as 19th on their list, and another St. Louis suburb, Brentwood, which is closer to the actual city of St. Louis, as 18th on their list.

Chesterfield is undoubtedly a nice place to live. We have a school system with one of the better reputations in the state, the crime rate is reasonably low, all the conveniences are within easy driving distance. The city authorities are striving for growth, but they are doing so in a fashion that does not impact the quality of life here.  In fact they are doing many projects that Continue reading “St. Louis Metropolitan Area- A Mixed Bag”

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Word of the Day – Ablute

Word of the Day… not actually daily, but whenever I encounter one I think worth sharing and there are not too many on my landing page.  Words have always fascinated me, and I am a fan of all types of word play, especially puns.  I have a hard time not looking up a word that I am unfamiliar with or not sure of the definition. I like those authors that stretch me by throwing in unexpected terms.   

  • Verb: Ablute
    1. abluted; abluting; ablutes
      chiefly British
      : to wash one’s body : to perform one’s ablutions : bathe
  • Synonyms:
    1.  bath
    2. cleansing
    3. decontamination
    4. lavation
    5. purification
    6. shower
  • Usage:
    1. “ Like the orientation of toilet paper, shower times are surprisingly divisive. One group swears you need a morning shower to make the most of your day. The evening team, on the other hand, holds that anyone who doesn’t wash before bed is a grimy heathen whose sheets are besmirched by filth. Some people – compromisers – suggest you can get the best of both worlds by abluting twice a day. “
  • Encountered:
    1.  While reading the fluff piece: There is a perfect time to shower – and it’s not when you think in The Guardian

To see more Words of the Day, visit this link: Words of the Day

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I Have Been Demoted

I have been demoted, but then again, it most likely depends on your measuring rod.

During my middle age years, I would occasionally get the question, “Do you know who you look like?” While this did not happen frequently, it happened often enough I knew the answer.  It almost always was Sam Elliott. I remember one incident at a Quik Trip in Tulsa when a complete stranger came up to me and asked me that question. I have never, ever, once seen the resemblance, but I generally took it as a compliment, being the path of most generosity.

I could almost understand it if someone had heard my voice, it being deep like Elliott’s.  However, I do not  have the melodious tones that have made Elliott so rich. Sigh.

I will admit to having a bit of moustache envy when Continue reading “I Have Been Demoted”

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Vanity Plate for the Day – DWN-NDR

Vanity Plate of the Day… not actually daily, but whenever I encounter one in the wild that I think worth sharing and there are not too many in sequence.  When I was commuting from my home to downtown St. Louis and back, I was spending anywhere from an hour and half to two hours daily in rush hour traffic. I used the exercise of deciphering vanity plates to help pass the time… plus sometimes they are very clever and worth sharing.

DWN-NDR

This was on the back of a Subaru Outback, hence the reference to Down Under.  I suppose they could have been Australian, but frequently Kiwis, Aussies and Brits will display a small flag of their country on their back windshield.

To see more Vanity Plates of the Day use this link: Vanity Plates of the Day

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Rev. Joe’s Random Thought #1,637

yeah I know you did not ask!

You should so be blessed – well cursed at times actually – with a mind such as mine, making all these weird connections between my rumored neurons. Just be thankful that I do not share all of my random thoughts.

“A picture is worth a thousand words” is an adage in multiple languages implying that a single picture could simplify what might be very complex and lengthy to put across in words.

To update for our times this adage might need to read, “A PhotoShopped or AI generated picture is worth a thousand lies.”

All to often, with increasing frequency, it is hard to tell what is true or what is someone pushing a particular vision… or something worst, far worst.

The times we live in.

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Rev. Joe’s Random Thought #2,441

yeah I know you did not ask!

You should so be blessed – well cursed at times actually – with a mind such as mine, making all these weird connections between my rumored neurons. Just be thankful that I do not share all of my random thoughts.

You do not have to be particularly well versed in history to know that we have always had, shall we say, problematic politicians in this country.  This was driven home to me when I worked for the Arkansas Department of Health. Part of my job was, at times, working with local politicians,  many of whom seemed to have very personal axes to grind.

It does seem, though, that, on the whole, with the current crop of politicians in Washington and across the various states,  our political garden is, more than usual, chock full of obnoxious weeds.

Which got me to ruminating…

Perhaps the worst part of being a politician would be having to hang around and work with other politicians.

Just saying.

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Quote of the Day – Immanuel Kant

Quote of the Day… not actually daily, but whenever I encounter one I think worth sharing and there are not too many in sequence.  I like quotes as they frequently distill a piece of wisdom into a brief passage, or make other points very succinctly – such as the witticisms of Oscar Wilde.

“Always treat persons (including yourself) and ends in themselves, never merely as a means to your own ends.” ~~Immanuel Kant

If you have been playing along at home, you no doubt realize that this is a second quote from Kant very soon after the first:

“Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law.” 

I discovered this quote in a Wondrium philosophy course I was watching, Think like a Stoic: Ancient Wisdom for Today’s World.  In my first posting I commented that it was a high brow version of the Golden Rule.

I went from watching the course on Stoic philosophy to another Wondrium course, The Big Questions of Philosophy which had today’s quote.

Both are statements of what philosophical types are calling Kant’s Categorical Imperatives which are “commands or moral laws all persons must follow, regardless of their desires or extenuating circumstances.”

The professor in the first course just put the quote out there.  In the second course, the professor spent one whole class discussing Kant. Spoiler alert he is not a fan.  However, he mentioned two or three times in the 30 minutes that Kant’s Categorical Imperative is not the Golden Rule, with a brief explanation as to why.  Mainly, that the Golden Rule is more concerned with how the individual feels that any universality, i.e. self centered.

I can buy his arguments for my original Kant quote.  It probably reflects my philosophical naivety more than anything else, but the second quote does not seem that far removed from the Golden Rule.

In any event, Kant’s approach to morality is a little too rigid for me. I am never sure if it is good or bad, but I live in the gray zone on many of these moral/ethical issues. One of the few lessons I have learned from life is that there are no certainties.

I’ll go back to being least serious in another post, I promise.

To see more Quotes for Day, visit this link: Quotes for the Day

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