+++ Sunday 20 July 2025 +++

5 Questions, July 2025
======================

Christina formulated five new questions [1].

Here's my take on them.

1. Has a self-help book ever helped you? If yes, would you share
the title and author?

I like to read books about Stoicism, Epicureanism, the Tao Te Ching
and so on. I don't think they are categorized as "self-help", but
they have helped me.

Some examples:

- "The Practicing Stoic" by Ward Farnsworth
  This book brings together the teachings of several classic
  Stoics like Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, and also some
  newer authors. The writing is very accessible and
  understandable, and helps to gain insights in the Stoic way of
  life.

- " Living for Pleasure: An Epicurean Guide to Life" by
  Emily A. Austin
  The Stoics looked down on Epicureanism, this book gives a
  different view, and helped me appreciate the teachings of
  Epicurus.

- "The Philosophy of the Daodejing" by Hans-Georg Moeller
  This book provides a broader perspective. It shows the main
  topics of the Dao and helps to understand the text with clear
  analysis. It changed my view and understanding of the Tao Te
  Ching a.k.a. Daodejing.

2. How many times a month do you cook dinner at home? Do you
   plan most of your meals, or do you start by looking in the
   refrigerator to see what hasn't gone bad?

We cook most days of the week, and my wife and I take turns on
doing the cooking. We usually plan a week ahead, which helps to
compile the groceries list for the trip to the supermarket.

3. Where do you get your recipes for #2? If you have multiple
   cookbooks do you rotate them?

I think that Pareto (80/20-rule) applies here, and often the
cooking based on habit, a recipe that has been made many times
before. Sometimes I look for something new, and use the internet
for that.

When we eat out and are surprised (in a positive way) by the food,
I try to find a way to replicate the meal, hunting the internet
for a recipe.

We aim to avoid sugar and salt, and I don't like garlic. When I
use a recipe from the internet, often I apply a simplified version.

4. If you've gone antiquing or thrift store shopping, what is
   one of your great finds?

We have two rattan chairs, that we got about a decade ago in the
thrift store and still are in use. A couple of years ago I got a
black leather relax swivel chair that I consider a great thrift
store find.

Last March I was in need for a walking cane, but couldn't find
one at the thrift stores in our area, and had to buy a new one.
During the hunting for the cane, we did get two (clearly used)
crutches from a thrift store, "just in case".

5. What would make, or has made, you more patriotic?

We are all inhabitants of the earth and the earth is the only
place where we can live. In my opinion patriotism is one of the
methods used by populists and right-wing politicians to create
an artificial divide between "us" and "them".


[1] gopher://zaibatsu.circumlunar.space:70/0/~christina/2025-07-09.txt

Last edited: $Date: 2025/07/19 16:02:20 $