“The discovery of the alphabet will create forgetfulness in the learners’ souls, because they will not use their memories; they will trust to the external written characters and not remember of themselves…You give your disciples not truth but only the semblance of truth; they will be heroes of many things, and will have learned nothing; they will appear to be omniscient and will generally know nothing.”

—Socrates, “Phaedrus”
—via The Medium is the Massage, Marshall McLuhan/Quentin Fiore

With the internet (and particularly, the search engine) I need to intentionally refrain from appearing omniscient but generally knowing nothing.  Now-a-days that’s a practice anyone with internet access can exercise proficiently.  I’m terrified to do the same but must confess I am doing exactly that.  Hold tight to specialization and independent thought.

As I often comment that I can hardly trust my memory at work anymore and rely on notes I’ve taken (or references that other people have developed), this causes makes me pause and consider whether I’m loosing some ability to think, to remember.  Could the trajectory land me in some reflective state where I no longer think for myself (a practice I hold dear) and instead only process instruction?  How can I integrate memorization in my daily life? Lean less on written word and stored memory and cultivate a deeper understanding of my environment?

Oh, yes, I want this couch. And the fabric art thing on the back of it.

Chicago Contemporary Kids Room (SemelSnow Interior Design, Inc).

This tip looks interesting: Heat up a bowl of oat bran instead of oatmeal; it has nearly 2 g more fiber. Add even more flavor and fiber by stirring in 1/4 cup of raisins or chopped dates before nuking it.

Read more at Fiber Foods Helps You Slim Down | Women’s Health Magazine.

And, while arguably not the best for our diets but still yummy, here’s the recipe Stacy used for our cranberry and orange muffins this weekend.  They were *delicious outside of the inconvenient truth that I’d left them just a few minutes too long in the oven (the muffins weren’t burnt, but they were *toasty).

Lastly, in the hunt to eat food that isn’t *terribly saturated with chemicals/pesticides (they’re unavoidable, but to at least be aware of what’s being ingested), here’s a handy guide to which fruits and veggies absorb the most pesticides (and may be worth spending a little more to go organic).

All this said, I’m not a hardcore diet/organic/veggie/juice freak. I’m far from it. But I am trying to be more aware of what’s going into my body, how my body digests it, and what, naturally, constitutes a balanced meal.  Articles like these help me get closer to a healthy lifestyle.

And blueberry mochas? Not so much.

RELEVANT Magazine – Christianity Shouldn’t be Cool.

When many people think about considering whether or not they will be part of a community, they use words like “cool” or “fun” or “like” or “agree” or “challenge” or some other word that reflects a consumer mentality. There’s nothing wrong with liking things. We’re meant to like life. But there’s no doubt that the things we think are “cool” will one day be “uncool,” or there will be days when we don’t “like” something or when we won’t “agree” with the people around us. But these affinity terms are the primary factors one considers when determining his or her commitment level to one another. There has to be something deeper—something that reflects the depth of what it truly means to be connected. And when we move away from the futility of cool, we begin making our decisions based on a question much more sacrificial :

Am I willing to stay committed to this when I do not like it?