Hristo's FI Journal

[chenda]

Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò

What about him ?

[Mister Imperceptible]

I did a short review of his background and material and found nothing like a

Disney-esque arrangement

[chenda]

I did a short review of his background and material and found nothing like a Disney-esque arrangement.

Sorry I thought you were @Hristo responding to me, please ignore.

[Hristo Botev]

Had an interesting book club last night on Heinlein's Starship Troopers; primary question being of course an examination of citizenship. Relatedly, I was at a work social happy hour a couple weeks ago when I was in the middle of (re)reading Heinlein's Starship Troopers, and the topic around the table was whether judges should be appointed or elected. I wasn't contributing anything to the discussion, because I don't really have an opinion on the matter apart from: "who cares, it's all fake anyway." But someone finally called me out and asked "Hristo, what's your take?" To which I responded that I was in the middle of reading a book that has me questioning whether or not we shouldn't seriously consider limiting the franchise in some way; that we might should chalk up universal suffrage to being a complete failure. It got real quiet for a bit after that.

As an update on the homeschooling adventure, for anyone interested here's the curriculum that DW and I have begun implementing with DS, with DW in charge of science and math, me in charge of history, geography, English, and Latin, and with us tackling religion as a family as part of our continued "homeschool RE," given that at this point I don't really trust any Catholic parish to properly catechize my kids.

- Science: DW is using Noeo Science, focusing on biology this year (this,, I think: https://www.amazon.com/Biology-Curricul ... 97e41410bb), as that is what DS has been interested in, which will be followed by chemistry and then physics in subsequent years

- History: I'm continuing with The Story of Civilization series (https://www.amazon.com/Story-Civilizati ... 103&sr=1-4), which I like. This year we'll finish Vol. 1, which covers the ancient world. Supplementing the textbook with a handful of kid-friendly novels that focus on the ancient world (e.g., The 22 Letters, Clive King; The Golden Goblet, Eloise Mcgraw; Hittite Warrior, Joanne Williamson)

- Religion: We are continuing with The New Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism No. 1 (https://www.amazon.com/Saint-Joseph-Bal ... 2411&psc=1), covering one lesson per week on Sundays as a family, and then spending the week memorizing the Q&As of the Baltimore Catechism, reading the scripture readings suggested in each lesson, and doing some additional project like memorizing a new prayer, researching Christmas customs in some other country, etc. Supplementing the Catechism with the Lives of the Saints books (e.g., https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/08987 ... UTF8&psc=1)

English: I'm using Intermediate Language Lessons (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BJ5 ... UTF8&psc=1), which is AWESOME! Supplementing that with memorization and dictation practice of poems/speeches from The Harp and the Laurel Wreath (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/08987 ... UTF8&psc=1), which, frankly, I can't wait to dive into

- Math: DW is using Singapore Math (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/14838 ... UTF8&psc=1), which came recommended from friends who have been homeschooling for awhile

- Latin: Lingua Latina (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/15851 ... UTF8&psc=1)with a lot of help from Mr. K (http://www.lingvalatina.com/; https://www.schooloflatin.com/school/)

- Geography: Scholastic's Map Skills for Today (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/13382 ... UTF8&psc=1), which is straightforward enough

We'd like to add art and music, eventually; but we're not in any particular rush.

Laura Berquist's Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum (https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Your-O ... C98&sr=1-1) has been a huge help in laying out the principles that allow us to cobble something together that we think makes sense for DS, as opposed to just buying some plug-and-play type off-the-shelf curriculum. For example, DS is a very goal oriented and independent learner; he HATES sitting still listening to lectures or instruction in any kind. But he is also very curious and a bit prideful of his intelligence (time will tell if it's warranted, but it's definitely bordering on sinful). So in picking materials we went heavy on materials that are as self-directed as possible--i.e., we write out the night before what he is to accomplish the next day, and he shows us his work when he finishes. Some of the materials will require some limited instruction (e.g., English); but as much as he can feel like he is learning as opposed to being taught, he thrives. We learned this during COVID lockdowns when we all had to dip our toes into virtual learning/homeschooling. He'd come ask me for his assignments for the day that his teacher had given us, and 30 minutes later he'd come back with everything completed (correctly), and he'd then run outside and play for the next 8 hours. We are looking to replicate that (at a higher level) as much as possible, and thus far that is what we have been doing with his sort of "hybrid" unschooling--he's got a task or three to accomplish each day, plus 2 hours of reading time and at least an hour of outdoor time, and no screens; it's been really fascinating to watch all the different ways he comes up with the entertain himself when he's not allowed to turn on the TV or play video games.

[MBBboy]

Great update Hristo. Also the proud owner of a new generator (2nd), and your post yesterday is a reminder that I really do need to get a gun safe.

Really curious to hear how the permaculture / homsteading consultant works out, that might be something I should emulate. We took the opposite ordering of events from you and bought the rural land + cabin first. We have a loose plan for developing it but definitely no expertise or experience. Maybe finding some in-person help to avoid doing something boneheaded makes sense. Especially because we bought a lot of acreage and are a little intimidated

Thanks for the homeschooling resource breakdown as well - something actively on our minds even though we are a few years away

[mooretrees]

Wow, all the homeschooling sounds great! I’m not ready to homeschool at this stage but I’m definitely keeping it as an option for later years. It’s good to hear the transition seems to be going well. Is he an introvert? How are y’all doing just regular hang out time with other kids? Sports?

[Hristo Botev]

How are y’all doing just regular hang out time with other kids? Sports?

Sports thus far: club soccer and golf; football likely next. And DW is arranging to get him signed up for some social/learning activities focused on homeschool kids. And then youth group at church.

But, he's the type that absolutely loves having his school buddies, which is what has made school tolerable for him despite having a complete aversion to having to sit still for hours at a time, which is why he wanted to try out the "neighborhood" public school when we moved here, given the option of that vs. parochial school vs. homeschool. But that public school was pretty rough, for a lot of reasons that would have turned me into that guy that ends up going viral for blowing his top screaming at a school board meeting, if it weren't for the fact that we can just opt out of a system that is clearly broken and probably even evil when viewed through the Screwtape lens. So it only took a couple of months for DS to realize on his own, without our prompting, that the public school was not the right fit for him. Lots of anecdotes there that I won't bore you all with. Lesson we learned was public school (at least that one) is a pretty horrible place to "socialize" your kids--we were spending all of our time trying to get him to unlearn bad habits and traits he was picking up there. Sort of like we are having to do with DD and what she's picking up at her public middle school, though to a lesser extent. I'd love to pull her from public school as well, but at 12yo I have to be much more careful as to when and how I "put my foot down"; she's managing the public school experience pretty well, thus far--I just let her know that if the homework and/or drama and/or complete soul-crushing degeneracy every becomes too much for her, she only needs to let us know and we'll pull her. (there are LOTS of great options short of going full 100% "Catholic Classical Homeschool" like we are doing with DS--and she can even continue to play school sports without being enrolled in school). Her two best friends from her club soccer team are both homeschooled, and we've talked at length as to what it is about them that makes them so appealing to be around, and that the commonality is a homeschooling mindset where there is no homework, no meritocratic-type gunner stress, no ridiculous drama, and no unhealthy wake-up times. Her friends are well rested and detached in a healthy/religious way; you get the sense that they are visitors at a zoo when they are listening in on the teammates go on and on about various school drama they are dealing with. It's funny to watch them watch their teammates.

[Hristo Botev]

Really curious to hear how the permaculture / homsteading consultant works out, that might be something I should emulate. We took the opposite ordering of events from you and bought the rural land + cabin first. We have a loose plan for developing it but definitely no expertise or experience. Maybe finding some in-person help to avoid doing something boneheaded makes sense. Especially because we bought a lot of acreage and are a little intimidated

If you're looking for a podcast recommendation (likely not), the Growing Resilience podcast is a lot of fun and speaks to all the mistakes people make, all the work that is involved with "homesteading," how expensive and painful and stupid it all is, and also why it's worth at least giving it a shot. It's kind of rambling--episodes are sometimes 2 hours long; but the SME, Todd Dwyer, is fantastic; and the color man, Scott Hambrick, is my favorite podcast color man out there.

[Hristo Botev]

and your post yesterday is a reminder that I really do need to get a gun safe.

Got DW a very nice long gun for Christmas--a Benelli M2 20gauge--and I needed a place to keep it as I keep my long guns at my dad's house, and his gun cabinet is full. She and the kids have been wanting a shotgun, and I had lots of recommendations that the m2 20 gauge is a great skeet shooting/dove hunting gun, especially for women (and kids/teens). She's going to love it; I just hope she doesn't peek into the safe before Christmas morning.

[Salathor]

But someone finally called me out and asked "Hristo, what's your take?" To which I responded that I was in the middle of reading a book that has me questioning whether or not we shouldn't seriously consider limiting the franchise in some way; that we might should chalk up universal suffrage to being a complete failure. It got real quiet for a bit after that.

Have you read The Moon is a Harsh Mistress? I enjoyed that one about as much as ST. Both were very valuable reads for me.

[Hristo Botev]

Have you read The Moon is a Harsh Mistress? I enjoyed that one about as much as ST. Both were very valuable reads for me.

No, but I know I need to; I think @Jacob has suggested that book to me before.

[Hristo Botev]

Have you read The Moon is a Harsh Mistress? I enjoyed that one about as much as ST. Both were very valuable reads for me.

Funny, went looking for where/when @Jacob had recommended The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (viewtopic.php?p=220078#p220078), and saw that he also recommended Against Democracy. Having just finished The Republic, this passage from the Amazon write-up of the book struck me as funny.

A challenging critique of democracy and the first sustained defense of the rule of the knowledgeable, Against Democracy is essential reading for scholars and students of politics across the disciplines.

I mean, surely we all recognize that, if we're talking about a "sustained defense of the rule of the knowledgeable," Plato's Republic predates Jason Brennan's book by more than 2,000 years.

[Hristo Botev]

Puts a smile on my face that my son's homeschooling textbook is so old there isn't even a copyright notice on the edition we bought:

I mean, probably safe to say that the English language hasn't really progressed since 1914; if anything, seems to have regressed if my preference for reading old books is any indication.

From Cathy Duffy's review (https://cathyduffyreviews.com/homeschoo ... ge-lessons):

The age of the books does create some interesting and unintended consequences for modern day children. Nature and everyday life in an agrarian society are common topics throughout the books, but especially in "Observation," "Conversation," and "Information" lessons. While farm children might readily answer many of the questions, children raised in the suburbs or in a city will likely have to research answers to questions like: "Name four parts of a harness" or "How does a rabbit sometimes injure trees" or "Tell how butter is made." Most families could create entire science lessons from some of the language activities!

Also, we got a dog:

It's been a year since we had to put our last dog down (a lab/husky mix) as the infirmities of old age finally caught up with her, and it's taken me awhile (more than the rest of the family) to get used to the idea of welcoming another dog. But, it's time. We're told by the rescue folks that she is a Chesapeake Bay Retriever. Not sure if she has some lab in her as well. Rescue said she is likely about 5 months, but our guess thus far is that she's probably closer to 3-4 months, as she is pretty small for a 5-6 month old Chessie, and she's still very much a puppy in maturity. She's settling in very well; it helps that she is a strikingly beautiful puppy.

Apparently it's a trait of Chessies (unlike Labs, e.g.) that "they are protective of their humans and polite, but not overtly friendly, to strangers." That pretty much sums up our family as well; so, seems like she'll be a good fit.

[mooretrees]

Wow, she is gorgeous! Have fun with her.

[chenda]

She is adorable. Definitely got a Labrador-esque face.

[mooretrees]

Out of curiosity, are you following a "great books" list for your Greek based reading? How do you decide what to read and what keeps you going when/if you don't like what you're reading?

[Hristo Botev]

Out of curiosity, are you following a "great books" list for your Greek based reading? How do you decide what to read and what keeps you going when/if you don't like what you're reading?

I'm doing https://onlinegreatbooks.com/ --which is VERY non-ERE of me (maybe it's ERE2 though?, no idea--can't keep up with that stuff).

The program generally follows Mortimer Adler's great books list (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Boo ... tern_World), without the math and science, though there are side-seminars that will do Euclid, etc. on their own, in addition to the main reading. But there are tons of various great books reading lists out there--e.g., look at any of the course offerings for any of the remaining great books programs that are out there at the university level (e.g., https://www.sjc.edu/academic-programs/u ... ading-list).

What keeps me going is that when you start you are assigned to a seminar, which is a group of people and you progress through the books, roughly chronologically, with that same group of people throughout the several years or so that the program lasts (I am halfway through my second year),* meeting once a month for two hours with a seminar host. So there's accountability there, and even if the reading is dry or not particularly your style, there are always interesting parallels/themes to be drawn from those readings with the other stuff you've read--I think this is what Adler referred to as synoptic reading, maybe?. This may be something like whatever it is the MMG folks are doing. But it's very nice having a seminar host who is very familiar with whatever the reading is and also trained at leading a Socratic-style seminar and never "teaching" or lecturing. When my particular seminar group is at it's best the seminar host may not say anything other than "good evening" for the entire 2 hours.

I probably wouldn't read any of this stuff without the seminar aspect--even The Odyssey, which is pretty action-packed and written like a modern screenplay, would not be something I would pick up and read if there wasn't an opportunity to try and work it all out in seminar. Seminar is where the grok-ing happens, where all the "big questions" get asked; the reading is just preparation for seminar.

*Apparently people start to drop out once you hit Aristotle, who I hear is challenging to get through. At that point seminar groups will start to get consolidated.

[bostonimproper]

It’s been a while, but I vaguely remember from my college classical philosophy class that Aristotle’s writings that we have today are all kind of broad lecture notes. So, kind of a big step down in readability when you’re following up Plato (as most do, for obvious reasons).

[Hristo Botev]

It’s been a while, but I vaguely remember from my college classical philosophy class that Aristotle’s writings that we have today are all kind of broad lecture notes. So, kind of a big step down in readability when you’re following up Plato (as most do, for obvious reasons).

I'm not there yet, but apparently that (they being lecture notes) is a bit of a contested issue; lots of folks are pretty adamant that they are not lecture notes. But I have no idea. Plato is readable because he writes in dialogues, which is something I kept having to remind myself of when reading The Republic when Socrates says that in his ideal city there there would be no imitative/make believe play acting allowed.

[Salathor]

Puts a smile on my face that my son's homeschooling textbook is so old there isn't even a copyright notice on the edition we bought:

We are doing a Charlotte Mason-inspired homeschooling curriculum for our daughters. LOTS of really old books to be found at the library or goodwill style stores. And they're still good, most of them. The thing about novel-writing is that we figured it out like 250 years ago in English, so there is a vast canon of excellent literature (unlike film--but that's a controversial opinion ).