Down the Road

Photographs and stories by Jim Grey

Since 2007

Recommended reading

Jim Grey
10 comments on Recommended reading
1 minute
Damion
Happy birthday to my son Damion, who turns 21 today

Another week, another list of the blog posts I liked most since last Saturday.

I have enjoyed Facebook less and less lately. Mark Evanier has, too, for many of the same reasons. Read Facebook Unfriendliness

A key to personal growth is that we grow apart from people to whom we once were close, says David Heinemeier Hansson, writing for Signal v. Noise. This is a big reason why he’s not on Facebook anymore: so he’s not connected to people from whom he has grown apart. Read Growing apart and losing touch is human and healthy

Polly Balitro makes a lot of lovely portraits. The ones I’m sharing today are no more or less lovely than any of the others she’s made — I just want to share her blog with you so you can enjoy her work, too. Read 02.12.2017

50 years ago this week, Rowan and Martin’s Laugh In debuted on NBC. Ann Althouse remembers it briefly and makes an astute observation on the show’s humor. Read 50 years ago today: Season 1, episode 1 of “Laugh In”

What does a Christian look like? K. Rex Butts notices how within Christian circles there are some common modes of dress. (Which might actually alienate people on the outside.) But that really has nothing to do with it, as he explains. Read I Don’t Look Like a Christian

This week’s camera reviews and experience reports:

Comments

10 responses to “Recommended reading”

  1. Stories BY Alexis Avatar
    Stories BY Alexis

    Nice personal summary of reads. Happy Birthday to your son. Happy Saturday to you on this day your son’s birthday, for his gift of life to you … Cheers, Alexis

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      Thanks so much Alexis! What a lovely thought — his gift of life to me.

      Reply
  2. Walter Czyz Avatar
    Walter Czyz

    You’re son looks to be in very deep thought. It reminds me of one of your recent posts. When you were reminiscing of your past, growing up, your fathers life and history as well. Makes you wonder, what is Damion thinking as you’re an integral part of his growth into a young man. We all have points in our past, growing up, kind of highlights if you will, that for some strange reason we remember. I’m always wondering if I’m doing a good job raising our three sons? Will I be remembered fondly in their highlighted points of their memories growing up? I hope what I’m typing here makes any sense. It’s hard to put into words what I’m trying to express, but I hope you get the point….

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      When I was about 19 I decided it was time to air a bunch of my grievances with my dad to him. He didn’t handle it as I had hoped. He didn’t handle it badly, per se. It’s just that he was surprised by, and had little or no memory of, most of the things I brought up to him.

      We do the best we can do. We can’t tell, really, what positive things we deliberately do, and what negative things we carelessly and thoughtlessly do, have any effect.

      Reply
  3. Reinhold Graf Avatar
    Reinhold Graf

    Regarding Mark Evanier, … it’s so true … but on the other side it’s your choice to act accordingly … I deleted my FB account two years ago. I did not want to waste my time any longer with 99% of rubbish coming from a bubble created by FB algorithms. Just read a book “Qualityland” from a German writer which makes a nice dystopia out of this scenario ;)

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      Back in college I took a course where I had to read a novel in German every week and discuss it in German with the professor. Man, that was great. It’s been 30 years since, but I bet I could still read novels. I’d just have to have Google Translate at the ready for the words I’ve forgotten. Ich habe so viele Woerter einfach vergessen. Anyway, I bet I’d enjoy Qualityland.

      Reply
  4. DougD Avatar
    DougD

    Happy Birthday to your son. 21, what an age, so much possibility, so much uncertainty…

    I liked the “I don’t look like a Christian article” Our church tries to be cognizant of that, we have jeans to ties, having a lot of college students helps. Pretty different than 50 years ago.

    I always say that our pastor dresses like a plumbing inspector, slightly rumpled poly-cotton shirt with a pencil in the pocket. As a technical person I find that comforting, he looks like someone who knows what he’s doing..

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      We went out to an Irish restaurant last night and had dinner and Guinness together. It was a great time.

      Where I go to church now, the pastor wears jeans and sweaters most of the time. The congregation wears anything from standard Sunday finery down to sweats and T-shirts.

      Reply
  5. jon campo Avatar
    jon campo

    Very interesting selections today Jim. I enjoyed reading. So glad I quit F.B. years ago, I see friends and co-workers wasting massive amounts of time …..( I’m pretty sure they would say the same thing about my cycling)

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      I share my blog posts on FB and that is sometimes the only reason I’m still on there. I am super tired of the junk posts (memes and cutesy pics) and of the political stuff. It makes me unhappier. Who needs it.

      Reply

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