Mi studas esperanton

I am learning Esperanto.

For those who have never heard of this, or you think you have and you're pretty sure it's a caffeinated beverage: Esperanto is a constructed language, originally developed in the late 19th century with the intention that it be a universal second language, and the lofty ambition that it would thus foster peace and understanding throughout the world. That might be a bit much, but at least it would be a language with which everyone could understand each other, without anyone being forced to learn someone else's language.

Dr Reality on the hook up with a mac

The following was Google Voice's transcription of a voicemail my partner left me yesterday:

Hey it's me. I just. Are you might be in the meantime, I'm bugging you HI The and headed to the So if you know the It's about 5, after five. I know you see if you wanna go at it. I was connecting to make sure that was the case. Anyway, if you wanted to know your ACT Give yourself a because that's okay let me know if you want to see if you do that for dinner. If not, you know that Dr Realty on the hook up with a mac. I'll that cliff over. I'll talk to you later. Bye. 

Off the social network

A few months ago, I closed my Facebook account. This happened to fall not too far from the beginning of Lent, and so became related to a Lenten practice of intentional relationships (an experiment that failed utterly, but I'll blog on that later).

I know other people who have left Facebook--some repeatedly--and I usually hear it described as a sort of "breaking free." Like Facebook was a drug, an addiction, and quitting was a wrenching but necessary experience. That's how the story tends to be told, anyway.

For me, leaving Facebook was more like letting an unused gym membership expire. I occasionally posted, seldom read, and never responded to messages. Any question I was asked that began with "Did you see so-and-so's post on Facbeook..." could always be answered in the negative. So closing the account wasn't an accomplishment at all (though I did accept some accolades).

I have said fairly consistently that I think I will eventually re-open my Facebook account, once I figure out how I intend to use it. But in the interim, here are some observations I have made about life off the social network:

On maleficence

In the over a year that I have not really been an active blogger, several topics have made it onto a list of things I really want to blog about. Knowing, however, that my thoughts on these topics are bound to wane in poignance as well as timeliness, I'm going to skip straight to what made me sit down tonight.

I went to see Maleficent tonight, and I have some thoughts.