Author Archives: Josh Smith
2021 YEAR IN REVIEW
First and foremost, my brother died in December. We weren’t especially close, but we loved each other and he helped me whenever I needed him. Everything else that happened this year is background noise. And the background noise is mostly pleasant. But for the bummer headline, this was another great year for me and mine. … Continue reading
Drag Race All Stars s03e01
Watching season 3 episode one of RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars. In All-Stars, the elimination gimmick is: each week, instead of the bottom two queens lip syncing and the loser getting eliminated, the top two lip sync and the winner of the lip sync chooses which of the bottom two queens to eliminate. Ben De La … Continue reading
Responding to Ravi Zacharias on the truth of xtianity
FIL sent me this video. My thoughts on the main argument: origin meaning morality destiny i guarantee you: only in the judeo christian worldview do you find these four questions answered with corresponding truthfulness and with the coherence of a worldview. I say: what? origin: it’s trivial to find two christians who disagree about whether … Continue reading
Mere Subjectivity
I was raised Catholic, dallied with hip, evangelicalism-for-teens in high school, and gradually slipped from believer, to agnostic, to atheist in my young adulthood. Nearly all my friends are non-believers of various stripes. I think that one’s social circle matters a LOT more than study, deliberation, and ratiocination in terms of where one lands on … Continue reading
10 YEARS AGO
It’s 2020. In early 2010 I was -unmarried, but dating Mary for about 3 years and that was going well.-still in college. I graduated later in 2010.-Still driving a taxi-working at the Show-Me Institute.-not yet a person who had played in more than one pro tour. I q’ed for paris in December 2010-living in St … Continue reading
2019 YEAR IN REVIEW
House We bought a house this year. We got very lucky in getting a house that was nearly everything we wanted. After 7 months, it seems to have worked out well. It will continue to be a source of projects and pride and occasional stress forever, most likely. Relationship Mary and I continue to get … Continue reading
Eric D. Dixon, greatest person to ever live, you are mist
Eric is gone. Like my father, he was taken by a sudden heart attack before age 50. He wasn’t family and we never lived together, but I felt closer to him than most people who are in those categories. His friendship meant more to me than I can ever say. I learned so much from … Continue reading
“Useless and necessary”: thoughts on Reflections on the Guillotine
I’m reading Reflections on the Guillotine by Camus. It’s phenomenal and disturbing, as I should have expected. This part really got to me: The State cannot escape the dilemma Beccaria described when he wrote: “If it is important to give the people proofs of power often, then executions must be frequent; but crimes will have … Continue reading
Thoughts on another arbitrary Simpsons anniversary
Today is the 20th anniversary of the Simpsons episode The Last Temptation of Krust. That’s the episode where Krusty realized he’s completely out of touch and no longer the behemoth showbiz success he used to be. He has a moment of panicked clarity when he sees Bart’s room, overflowing with his merchandise. View post on … Continue reading
My top ten tv shows
Originally posted here. 30 rock arrested development bojack horseman community it’s always sunny parks and rec rick and morty simpsons the wire venture bros preference order added on 8-21 for crybaby Eric: simpsons arrested development bojack horseman it’s always sunny rick and morty the wire venture bros parks and rec 30 rock community