Bob Unembellished ⋅ 62 ⋅
More than a quarter of a century writing on the internet. I've shared a lot. I've learned a lot. Let's go for a half century!
Entries 129
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porch life in Book Two
So it was old timey night on my front porch. Greg came over with a can of beer in hand. This is the third time this year that he has seen me and invited himself up. That’s ok. I don’t mind havin...
Sometimes in life, you make a little decision that changes your trajectory a little bit and sometime you make bigger decisions that change everything. 25 years ago today, I arrived back in Canad...
$100 golf shirt in Book Two
I was told by an American friend yesterday that my estimation of $60 for a nice golf shirt is too low. It would likely be over $80. That would put it over $100 in Canada. For that I could go to ...
Everyday is pretty much the same. Sometimes the cat stays out all night. Sometimes we manage to keep her in. Sometimes I take a walk around the lake. Sometimes I take a walk through the city. Th...
Topography of language in Book Two
I like the way that the Taiwanese talk. Specifically, I like the way they speak English. Everything is flattened somehow, which is interesting because Taiwanese is a tonal language - when they s...
a view from the porch in Book Two
15% of suffering is uninvited sickness and disaster. The rest we bring on ourselves. That is a line from a book I am reading. The line jumped out at me as a little nugget of wisdom after a sce...
Baseball analogy in Book Two
My first office job ruined me for all office jobs that followed. There is more pain caused by unmet expectations than happiness caused by exceeded expectations. Early successes ruin you for l...
too few to mention in Book Two
I can’t help thinking that this would be so much better if I was in Taiwan and that thought is not fair to my Canadian life. I mean the weather has not been very nice - two days of rain, but oth...
Get a horse in Book Two
It was a crazy idea. But then, all ideas are crazy until they work. Going to the moon. Crazy idea. Electricity. Crazy idea. Even automobiles were a crazy idea at one time. Early adopters when t...
Don't worry. Be happy in Book Two
Just like a lot of unhappiness is caused by unmet expectations, a lot of unhappiness is also caused by unrealized dreams. And often these unrealized dreams are blamed on someone or some set of c...
One of the podcasts that I’ve been listening to for years is “The History of the English Language.” I’m actually listening to it a second or third time through already. It puts me right off to s...
Canadian restart in Book Two
I restarted my Mandarin studies yesterday. The target is 100 intermediate sentences a day. I know a lot of characters but my listening ability needs a lot of work. So today, since I know that th...
Why I do what I do online and the feedback I get in Book Two
Most of my days are pretty much the same. And that’s a good thing. They have a certain rhythm. They are definitely not fast paced. Some day’s I cook something. Some days I drive. I usually read ...
Small town Bob in Book Two
Small town life today starts at about 8am. I don’t know why I am getting so my sleep. I go to bed shortly after 8 and sleep straight on through, like that old Doors song, to the other side. Ten ...
Middle of May and I’ve been home from Taiwan now for about 2 and a half weeks. Already my other life is a faded memory. I feel living half my life there and half my life here that I am a set of ...
Small town life in Book Two
Living in a small town, I become attune to the rhythm of life. I’m out on the porch as the sun comes up and I hear my neighbours all about 7:30. The ones on the right come back from their morni...
I try for honesty and relatability. I probe by giving examples and then asking related questions. I’m easy to talk to and like to connect with other people. That’s how I ended up talking to a gu...
I was thinking how little things send our lives in different directions. And how a 1% change in direction can, over time lead us to a much different place. I was thinking this in relation to Don...
Opposite world in Book Two
In Canada, I sleep so well. So deep. I tell myself that I am recuperating from my overactive lifestyle in Taiwan. Maybe there is some truth in that. I certainly have a much more comfortable life...
I had a couple of glasses of wine when I was barbecuing the chicken breasts. And then a couple more afterwards. I almost never have more than two drinks anymore. But sometimes I let myself overi...
3 Things about being back in Canada in Book Two
I’m back in Canada, and honestly, I’m sleeping better here than I did in Taiwan. Weird, right? In Taiwan, I was exercising like crazy — knocking myself out every day — but somehow, Canada’s g...
Wheelbarrow in Book Two
Yesterday I sat on the front porch for a few hours late in the afternoon. I watched my neighbours up the street working on their front garden. It looks nice. Much nicer than a decade ago when th...
Fancy wine and cheese in Book Two
Yesterday I forgot what day it was. It could have been Friday. It could have been August 2, 1945. Life is hard for a time traveler. And it is hard to stay grounded as a retired sea captain. I ...
The Carney Protocol in Book Two
I was at the dentist yesterday. I had my six month check up and cleaning. The hygienist, who was new to me, is male, fairly young and an interesting conversationalist. He told me things that I n...
I had a dream. I was still working at the Guelph Mercury. I wasn’t part of the sales team. I was a junior reporter, so junior that I also helped with production. We had morning meetings in a dam...
