Hristo's FI Journal

Where are you and where are you going?
ThriftyRob
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by ThriftyRob »

Excellent update! I get your unease about your church situation. As an Anglican, I tend to find churches being too liberal/socialist in outlook. I laughed at your comment about the water and the fish being the same in Mexico. You're right to invest in the relationship with a new neighbour though. I also laughed at your comment about not screwing up your wife's employment deal! :)

ffj
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by ffj »

I grew up Catholic and even though I don't practice anymore I fondly remember our little Catholic Newman Center at the university I attended. I made life-long friends there and one of the fondest memories I have is of an older lady named Barbara that would cook dinner for us students once a week.

Now I was a penniless kid who lived off of peanut butter sandwiches and spaghetti and having a home cooked meal was an absolute treat that I still remember decades later. We always had a great time, as being together was always the theme, and she was always the nicest person you could meet. She has passed on but I couldn't come up with a better example of someone living their faith.

Have you and your family considered a small venue such as that? To be an example to others especially with young children? In college I did a fair amount of charity work through the church and it was always really cool to meet young families ( usually hosting us ) that had their shit together. And they were so interesting to talk to and have meaningful conversations. Perhaps your family could be that cool family that inspires others.

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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by jacob »

Hristo Botev wrote:
Wed Sep 21, 2022 9:14 am
Some ETAs, we are still struggling to find our parish. We tried a different one near my dad's house Saturday evening, but per my 12-yo daughter it felt "too Protestant-y" (I knew exactly what she meant). I hate doing the cafeteria Catholic thing, but man, the MUSIC at "our" parish is SO OVER THE TOP; it's frankly sinful in the manner it distracts from the liturgy. And the parish is doing it's "parish mission" right now, which they outsourced to one of those too-slick-by-far Catholic "faith formation" businesses that charge parishes for glossy mission materials, with videos from prominent Catholic speakers, lots of stupid corporate-y type slogans and catch phrases, etc. Shia Lebouf said rather famously (within the Catholic Twitter world) during his Bishop Barron interview about the Padre Pio movie that he felt that someone was trying to sell him something at the Novus Ordo Mass, and he didn't feel that way at a Latin Mass. I feel that way for sure at my current parish--"LOOK AT US, SEE HOW RELEVANT WE ARE!!!". It's too much. I don't know, the family is a little lost right now wrt the parish thing. BUT, "homeschool" religious education continues to go well, doing The New St. Joseph Baltimore Catechism and The Story of Civilization curriculums.
In Europe, churches were essentially nationalized into state religions. Whereas in the US, it's every church for itself. American preachers/churches therefore have to do a lot more outreach and figure out ways to get people to show up in their church as opposed to the church across the street that offers a different service. The reason for corporate marketing-style efforts and megachurch rock concert-style sermons is that they work effectively in that many people apparently enjoy them. (Basically the same reason why there are attack ads in politics---unfortunately they work too well.) This does constitute a break from traditionalism but also affords "consumer"-choice. Whereas in Europe, you get far less options. The church doesn't have to bother to give people what they want because the church is paid by taxes and quite regulated. Thus fewer people show up. On the flip side, regulations ensure that traditions prevail and so priests rarely introduce anything innovative. A friend from HS became a priest and since he also has a degree in music, he knows how to sing the psalms (there's a term for this which I don't know) which is an ancient and largely forgotten art but allowed so now his audience gets to hear him sing. It was apparently a pretty big deal.

All that to say that you're likely not finding what you're seeking because you're asking for a service that's not in popular demand. And this is the likely reason. TL;DR in the US religion is run as a competitive business; in Europe religion is a nationalized institution.

IlliniDave
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by IlliniDave »

jacob wrote:
Thu Sep 22, 2022 8:13 am
... he knows how to sing the psalms (there's a term for this which I don't know) which is an ancient and largely forgotten art but allowed so now his audience gets to hear him sing. ...
"Cantor" maybe? That would describe the role of the singer. Gregorian Chant could be the largely forgotten style.

IlliniDave
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by IlliniDave »

Hristo Botev wrote:
Wed Sep 21, 2022 9:14 am
... It's too much. I don't know, the family is a little lost right now wrt the parish thing ...
The same basically happened to me. The first was when I tried to find a Parish in the Southeast US. Just a totally different vibe, or I dunno, culture. Just felt wrong, and coincidentally the music was so bad it was a distraction. The revelation of the long-standing scandals/coverups didn't help. But even when I moved back to the northern Midwest I don't feel like I belong. And to make it worse the new/2011 English translation of the Roman is almost like nails on a chalkboard to me. It may be more literal The thing that really made me give up is that the Church seems to cozy up to secular philosophies that in part run counter to many of the traditional teachings. It feels like they are desperate to stay relevant and be cool. Dunno if it's a strictly American phenomenon or if things all over the world are changing that way. Hope you are able to sort things out to your liking.

Hristo Botev
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by Hristo Botev »

Dilbert got cancelled; there's probably some cultural significance to unpack in that.

Hristo Botev
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by Hristo Botev »

I'm reading the first half of Plato's Republic this month with my great books group, as we finish up our reading of the Dialogues. This morning was Book 2. Reading about the Ring of Gyges gave me goose pumps.

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Mister Imperceptible
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by Mister Imperceptible »

Hi there

This was recently posted on Dilbert’s twitter feed, I am surprised he was not canceled 2 years ago.

The big church will recede along with big wave of prosperity at the same time hardship will drive people back to religion, so you may have that to look forward to. I like JMG’s notion that a new culture will emerge from the dead wreckage of technocracy.

Hristo Botev
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by Hristo Botev »

Mister Imperceptible wrote:
Fri Sep 23, 2022 12:48 pm
This was recently posted on Dilbert’s twitter feed, I am surprised he was not canceled 2 years ago.
Well, putting my tinfoil hat on for a second (who am I kidding, I never take it off anymore), I certainly won't be the first person to categorize Adams as controlled opposition, with the likes of Jordan Peterson, Ross Douthat (though I like Douthat), Ben Shapiro, and basically any "conservative" with an actual mainstream or quasi-mainstream platform from which to speak. So I am a bit surprised that Adams' platform has been (partially) taken from him, unless it is merely intended to be a slap on the wrist-type correction to remind him to stay inside the lines.

For sure he'd have been cancelled 2 years ago had he not decided to be such an outspoken pro-Vaxx mouthpiece.
Mister Imperceptible wrote:
Fri Sep 23, 2022 12:48 pm
The big church will recede along with big wave of prosperity at the same time hardship will drive people back to religion, so you may have that to look forward to. I like JMG’s notion that a new culture will emerge from the dead wreckage of technocracy.
Fr. Ripperger is great on this point; including and especially as it concerns the state of the Church. Prosperity is a much greater danger to your soul than scarcity.

Hristo Botev
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by Hristo Botev »

Profession starts trade association to do all those things a trade association is supposed to do on behalf of the profession and its members; naturally, trade association's paid (support) staff gets larger and larger, as always seems to happen with administrative departments; HR folks are of course hired by the trade association to handle HR issues with paid staff; trade association's HR folks manage to wrestle more and more power for themselves; HR folks then issue a "Code of Conduct" to be followed not only by paid staff but also by the trade association's volunteer leaders (i.e., all those members of the profession who are also paying members of the trade association who also take on officer roles within the association to do things like organize the annual conference, edit the trade journal, manage the relationship between the profession, on the one hand, and the trade association, on the other, etc.)--after all, those volunteer leaders are the "face of the profession," now that the profession and the trade association have become synonymous with one another; if a "volunteer leader" refuses to sign the "Code of Conduct" (which is typical HR nonsense with a bunch of undefined and ambiguous terms and concepts that will only ever be used as a tool to silence or remove someone in the opposition), the volunteer leader must resign his position.

You now find yourself in the odd position of paying for the privilege to be subject to the dictates of your profession's trade association's HR Department, none of whom are members of or even know anything about your profession--but they are "experts" in HR.

ETA: Spurred by another thread (viewtopic.php?p=263131#p263131), ERE has provided us with some (though certainly not all or even most) of the mindset changes to be in a position to easily say an emphatic "No" when folks try and pull this sort of "Code of Conduct" BS on us. It's our "fortress of fucking solitude that puts us for the rest of our lives at a level of fuck you." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XamC7-Pt8N0

Hristo Botev
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by Hristo Botev »

Hristo Botev wrote:
Thu Oct 24, 2019 11:39 am
Turns out the body aches and fever I was complaining about at the end of September were a bit more serious than I originally thought. The fevers got worse, and so I stayed home thinking it was the flu and it'd go away with rest. When it didn't, I went to an urgent care facility for a diagnosis, worried that it might be pneumonia, of which my daughter just had a mild case. The urgent care doctor confirmed it wasn't the flu, and she also said (incorrectly) it wasn't pneumonia. Rather, she said it was an upper respiratory infection that would go away on its own in about 8-10 days. When it didn't, after 10 miserable days at home, I finally went to see my primary care provider who immediately sent me to the emergency room because my oxygen levels were so low. Turns out it was a massively severe case of pneumonia that ultimately required me to be intubated because I couldn't breathe sufficiently even with a cpap. I was discharged after about 2 weeks, but it will be several more weeks before I'm able to do regular physical activities (like climbing stairs) without getting winded. I guess the good news is that I lost about 25 pounds during the ordeal, but I'll no doubt put most of that back on relatively quickly now that I've mostly got my appetite back.

As with last year's near-fatal bike accident, I've been overwhelmed with the love and support I've received from friends, family, and church. As with last year's accident, I'm once again blown away by what an absolutely incredible wife I have; she is solid as a rock and I would be a smidgen of the man I am but for her. I'd say the experience helped me put things in perspective, but it really didn't. I have things in perspective, I think. And I'm hoping that these serious medical emergencies don't become an annual thing. I'm kind of over it.
Hmmm, https://billricejr.substack.com/p/i-ask ... -anecdotes

Hristo Botev
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by Hristo Botev »

It's official, we filed our notice of intent to homeschool our youngest today; tomorrow will be his last day of public school at least until middle school. Looking forward to this next chapter in our DIY journey; DS is over the moon excited.

Biscuits and Gravy
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by Biscuits and Gravy »

That’s great! Best wishes to y’all! Can I ask what your son finds most appealing about being homeschooled?

Hristo Botev
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by Hristo Botev »

Biscuits and Gravy wrote:
Thu Oct 13, 2022 6:42 pm
That’s great! Best wishes to y’all! Can I ask what your son finds most appealing about being homeschooled?
Thanks. At this point it's just the idea of homeschooling my son finds appealing. But "most" appealing would probably be no homework or busy work, and no rules that seem arbitrary unless understood as the teacher/administration's need to maintain control and discipline over a large and unruly student population. He's got a pretty strong BS detector, which for good or for bad we've been pretty active in encouraging, sometimes to our own detriment.

Hristo Botev
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by Hristo Botev »

It's too early to tell, but this week with DS at home has been quite lovely. He's always been a good-natured kid, but that good nature seems to have been magnified this week. We haven't implemented any sort of real curriculum yet, as the experienced homeschoolers we've spoken with all seem to universally recommend an "unschooling"-type period when you pull a kid out of an institutional school setting, in order to de-institutionalize them. Thus far the rules/schedule is pretty simple: (1) no screens; (2) at least 2 hours of "PE"/outside time; (3) at least 2 hours of reading time; and (4) help with chores around the house and do your own meal prep (he loves making his own smoothies). It's worked well so far. We've been doing "homeschool" religious education for a couple months already, which is the catechism and the "Story of Civilization" books; so there's already that sort of curriculum. And we've got some ideas on resources and scheduling for a more classical/Catholic type homeschooling curriculum, which we probably will also start using. Our state also has really good virtual schooling options, which you can do a la carte, and while our son has indicated he has no interest in sitting in front of a computer for virtual math or whatever, our older daughter is very interested in the idea, as, for example, she just doesn't like her 1st period middle school science teacher, and she still can't believe that it's an option for her to just not go to that class, but to instead do a virtual science class at home, run through the state. So she's kinda starting to get the homeschool bug a bit too.

Good times.

ETA: In my mind I romanticize the "homestead"-type life, with money-making, cooking, education, and entertainment all mostly happening in the house. Funnily enough, thanks to virtual work and various other happenings, that is becoming a reality for us, at least for now. We don't really eat out anymore, except for weekend soccer tournaments and trips to see family; I work from home with hour expectations that work out to about 25 hours/week; DW goes into the hospital only once a week, and she sees patients in an outpatient setting sporadically throughout the rest of the week, on her own schedule; DS is now at home during the day; and I suspect DD will start wanting to take more of her classes somewhere other than her middle school soon as well (e.g., if you don't like your teacher and/or aren't learning from them and/or there are too many disciplinary issues in the class for you to learn effectively, it is thankfully an option to simply choose a different path to learn the material).

Thanks be to God.

Hristo Botev
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by Hristo Botev »

Plato's Republic is really good; the sort of really good that will stick with me forever as a reference point. There's just so, so, so much there.

Hristo Botev
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by Hristo Botev »

A rare kudos to WaPo for doing it's job: https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness ... donations/

Let the heads start rolling at the organization fka the ADA.

Hristo Botev
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by Hristo Botev »

It's going to be a busy week at work that I'm not quite yet ready to begin, so I'll procrastinate by posting an update here instead, which will provide me with the illusion of accomplishment.

Spreadsheet therapy

Was thinking this morning about how long it's been since I've checked in on the old net worth spreadsheet; probably not a good idea to go more than a month to see how things stand, but I've been reluctant to look as I know I won't see much if anything that will make me happy. Oh well, will plan to update the sheet at the end of this month; likely with a glass of bourbon.

"Homesteading"

So much to do--1 step forward and 3 steps back.

Much of my non working time at the house has been spent doing things like interior painting, minor electrical work, fence work and lawncare, and just generally doing the sort of settling in stuff that I'd have thought would be done by now. Good news is that I don't have to climb up into the attic to pull down the Christmas decorations this year, as since we moved in I never got around to get them moved from the garage to the attic in the first place.

But, we're hiring a sort of permaculture consultant guy to help with putting together the multi-year homesteading plan and to be a resource for as-applied-to-my-situation information that a lifetime of book learning would never provide me. The questionnaire he gave us is great, as it prompts us to do a lot of legwork to figure out what we actually have and what our goals/visions/etc. are. It's been a good exercise. My hope is that this guy will save us from at least some of the time-consuming mistakes that I would have made had I continued to try and go about it alone.

Relatedly, been spending a lot lately on things related to resilience, generally: a chest freezer (new), a garage fridge (used via Craigslist), a Berkey filter (on sale), a generator (new), and even a large gun safe. A good thing that came from the gun safe purchase is that I had to clear out space for it in my already small closet, which prompted me to further cull my wardrobe even more than what I'd done in preparation for the move. At this point I'm down to a winter wardrobe of 2 pairs of jeans and a pair of duck work pants, 2 blue OCBDs, 2 chambray work shirts, a few sweaters and some t-shirts, in addition to my work suits and church slacks/blazer/dress shirts.

In addition to putting the homesteading plan in place and beginning execution, I suspect the next big purchase/investment will be rural land in the north part of the county or perhaps even further out. We've been researching doing that for a few years now, but knowing that we are staying put for at least the next 8-9 years as the kids finish up schooling has made us realize that our "needs" for the property are for the next decade or so really just a place for hunting/shooting and a place to park the Airstream for a night or 3, and as a place to provide a resource for firewood. Once purchased we'll put a plan together for developing the property, with an eye to handing it down to the kids--an orchard, fencing, utilities/water considerations, some infrastructure and eventually a house and perhaps some additional cabins. But we'll take our time and focus our "homestead" activities right here on our 1/3 of an acre kingdom.

In my dreams DW and I move to the property once the kids are out on their own, with one of the kids living in our current house with his or her family, and with the other kid living on a separate homestead site on our property with his or her own family. A dad can dream.

Homeschooling

The "unschooling" phase is drawing to an end and DW is starting DS on a biology curriculum today, and I will follow suit with English and history after Christmas. For math, DS will start an online course that will begin in the new year and be taught by an online instructor, so that we can compare that approach to the more traditional parents as teachers using textbooks approach. DW is strong in math (I'm not) and so could easily teach the course herself, but we want to see what non-COVID virtual instruction is like.

My studies

I finished The Republic, which was my 11th Platonic dialogue, and I have 4 more to go (Theaetetus, Timaeus, Sophist, and Statesman) before moving on to Aristotle, which I'm excited about but also a little intimidated of. Currently I'm reading Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War, and then the next "history" I'll read will be a selection of Plutarch's Lives of Noble Greeks and Romans (Alcibiades, Pericles, Alexander, Caesar, Cato, Cicero). Outside of my "great books" curriculum I just finished the first volume of Shelby Foote's Civil War narrative, and I'll move on to starting the second volume in December. And I read Heinlein's Starship Troopers (which I of course loved) and John Senior's Restoration of Christian Culture, and I'm about to finish Raymond Chandler's Big Sleep and about to start (re)reading CS Lewis's Screwtape Letters.

What's missing is my spiritual reading, though I've got a few really good candidates to choose from.

My strength training

I've slacked off the past month and a half as the lights in my garage had gone out due to some sort of electrical glitch, and I'd been dragging my feet trying to diagnose and fix the problem. However, we hosted the extended family for Thanksgiving and with my father in law in town we were able to get the lights turned back on, and I now have no excuse.

So I've switched from 3-day lifting plan to 4 days--what I believe they call a 4-day split that de-emphasized the squat as compared to what is the case with the 3-day novice linear progression where you squat heavy 3 days a week. The new plan looks like this:

M: 1x5 press at 100%; 5x5 bench press at 85%; 3x8 barbell upright row
T: 1x5 deadlift at 100%; 5x5 squat at 85%; 3x8 barbell front raise
R: 1x5 bench press at 100%; press 5x5 at 85%; 3x8 barbell row
F: 1x5 squat at 100%; deadlift 3x5 at 85%; 3x8 tricep extensions

And I'm jogging or running sprint intervals or walking several times a week as well.

My faith

We ended up deciding against the parish where we got married, where DW went as a kid, and have instead opted for a parish that's about equal distance in the other direction, just down the street from where my dad lives. It's a smaller parish and apart from "feeling too Protestant," as DD says, it's a better fit, and we'll start getting involved with the community there. The music is much more stripped down and de-emphasized, with more emphasis on the parish singing hymns as a whole, and there are definitely no Disney-esque arrangements. So the music is certainly not a distraction.

chenda
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by chenda »

Hristo Botev wrote:
Mon Nov 28, 2022 9:54 am
"feeling too Protestant," as DD says
I'm curious as to how it's feels ?

I may have mentioned upthread but Plotinus's Enneads are worth reading. It was very influential on both Christian and Islamic mysticism.

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Mister Imperceptible
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Re: Hristo's FI Journal

Post by Mister Imperceptible »

Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò

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