The Greatest Hits: Completely Arbitrary Edition
Some Advent Season Goodies
Some of these are previously for supporting subscribers. Through the end of 2023, all subs are 50% off.
The Mostly Wonderful Time of the Year, But Not For Teachers
It’s “that time of year” for teachers, namely, that brief respite between semesters that’s not really a break. During the next month, I’ll be prepping for a week-long January course, desparately finishing some other bits of writing on a long-suffering book project, prepping for Spring courses, and reading things that don’t fit into any project whatsoever.
So, this week, in lieu of new work, I’m unlocking the greatest hits vault1 from the last six months, determined solely by you, the readers. These are the pieces which resonated the most deeply, and some of which I’m most proud of.
Deliberation process footage:
The Aforementioned Greatest Hits
I’ve unlocked a couple of these, previously for supporting subscribers, mostly because I think they’re really good. In no particular order:
When The Homeschoolers Throw a Better Convention Than You—the takeaways from going to a homeschool convention this summer, and how it helps me to think about what professional organizations are for. (Previously locked!)
What We Talk About When We Talk About the Machine—as much as I am a fan of the lower-tech movement, it’s important for us to be aware of how totalizing the effects of technology leads straight off the cliff.
Baseball is For Cheaters: A Guide for the Perplexed—a love letter to the Astros, the worst of sinners.
What Are We Obligated To? —part of the series of how I teach Christian ethics, on the question of how we sort out our obligations, with special reference to distant needs and wars. (Previously locked!)
Keywords of the Moral Life: Gluttony—one of the last of the “Keywords” series from this past year, on how beginning with the stomach helps us to understand how vice emerges. With special reference to Dorothy Day and John Cassian.
If reading isn’t your jam right now, feel free to watch Tom Petty play one of his simplest and best. In the summer of 2006, I saw him play in Kansas City, and man, they knew that the fans wanted to hear the good stuff. And it was a good evening:
Solely determined by yours truly. A committee of one.