Unexpected Discoveries and Unnoticed Pleasures
In 1964 an Edinburgh antiques dealer dropped five quid on a small carved figure which he kept around the house. His children and grandchildren developed a particular affection for it. Recently the grandchildren, out of curiosity, dropped by Sotheby’s to have it evaluated. Turns out it’s one of the Lewis chessmen.
It could easily fetch one million pounds at auction.
Many of you know that I write in a variety of online and print places about certain issues of current import, for instance religious liberty, or the state of American universities. You can find it easily enough, I don't link to that stuff here. Instead, maybe you’ll want to read my thoughts about whether or not a certain play flatters the sensibilities of its audience.
I also wrote about trying to share things I like in unexpected ways.
Why not learn the basics of web design in four minutes?
David Benatar, the South African philosopher who thinks that everything would be better if the human race died out, says, in defense of his claim, “There’s such a thing as chronic pain, but there’s no such thing as chronic pleasure.” I’ve thought about that statement a lot since I first read it, and it strikes me that it fails to account for how different pleasure and pain are. Chronic pleasure might not be pleasurable at all; and many of my days are dotted with many small brief pleasures. I started making a list of them, but I confess I did not think to add pooping in the dark.
STATUS BOARD
- Work: Writing this damned book.
- Music: One of the most distinctive guitar styles ever, coupled with a powerhouse voice: Joan Armatrading.
- Reading: I am itching to start Dave Hutchinson’s Europe at Dawn, but the details of the first three books in the series are fuzzy enough in my mind that I’m thinking of starting over from the beginning.
- Food: Helberg Barbecue is getting better and better.
- Drink: Another recent local addition, Brotherwell Brewing, is making a really excellent pilsner for these hot months.