James Hanson
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Pressing an Off Switch for a New View
Anything emananating that does not yet have a proper name is perceived at first as eccentric. That line is from my notes on David Whyte‘s Three Sundays series back in May 2024. The word “eccentric” caught my attention, and so I started thinking of synonyms: weird, strange, “off.” Off is an interesting word. I think… Continue reading
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Your Second Brain Shouldn’t Make You Feel Bad; Your Notes can Be a Conversation Partner.
Joan Westenberg wrote a post about deleting her second brain. I enjoyed it and much of what she said there rang true, to some extent, for me. And I am glad that she has found some sort of liberation and even joy in having deleted her notes. But I don’t want to delete mine, even… Continue reading
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Rather than Shrink from Uncertainty, Grow through a Challenge: Notes from Episode 63 of the OptimalWork Podcast
This post contains some notes taken from Episode 63 of The Optimal Work Podcast: How to Thrive in Uncertainty. Any insight or encouragement should be attribute to the hosts, Kevin Majeres and Sharif Younes; any flaws in my notes should be attributed to me. Having Certainty Might Feel Good, but Life is about Growing because… Continue reading
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Method in Theology: When the Object Must be Loved
Last week, I picked up a copy of Josef Pieper: An Anthology at The Calico Cat Bookshop. This passage from the Foreword by von Balthasar struck me, and I’ll say why if you read through it: “Just as the gracious, faithful and merciful God who made a covenant with Israel requires in the end a… Continue reading
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Pushed Toward Alex Petkas’s Podcast on Plutarch’s Lives by The Art of Manliness
The Art of Manliness Podcast episode that I listened to on today’s run was about Plutarch’s Lives. Plutarch’s Lives was part of the curriculum at Thomas Aquinas College, and I was impressed when I read them. It’s been a while since I’ve re-visited them. The guest, Alex Petkas, has his own site and a podcast:… Continue reading
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Trial De Novo Insights: Arizona Court Ruling on A.R.S. § 12-910 in Clout Construction Memorandum Decision
I have written about the revisions to A.R.S. § 12-910 and how the right to a trial de novo affects cases before the Arizona Registrar of Contractors. Earlier this month, on July 1, 2025, the Arizona Court of Appeals issued a memorandum decision that brings some clarity by affirming a basic proposition: If a trial… Continue reading
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Week One in Ventura, California
As I write this, the family and I have completed the first week in Ventura, California. Years ago, someone called Ventura a “blue-collar beach town” and that’s how I describe it. It’s not chic in the way that Santa Barbara can feel, and it’s not big, tourist-y, and popular in the way that San Diego… Continue reading
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Big Bear Lake and San Francisco within Four Days
It’s Tuesday, and I’m back at my house, but I’ve been on the road since Saturday. My wife and I drove our two boys out to Big Bear Lake, CA, to drop them off for Tilden Summer Camp. We were there a night, and we drove back to Phoenix on Sunday. One of the highlights… Continue reading
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Transform Your Viewing Habits: Choose Movies over TV
I read a piece of advice from Tyler Cowen that influenced my behavior. And I know it has influenced others after I’ve mentioned it to them. The advice is this: Instead of watching a TV show or an episode in a series, watch a movie instead, even if it’s only a part of the movie… Continue reading
Subjects of Interest
A.R.S. § 12-910 (5) Arizona Administrative Code (1) Art of Manliness Podcast (1) Austin Kleon (1) Christopher Nolan (1) cotidian photo (3) Criterion Channel (1) David Whyte (1) Great Books (1) Josef Pieper (2) Los Angeles (1) movies (2) Office of Administrative Hearings (3) OptimalWork (1) personal growth (1) philosophy (1) Phoenix (1) reading (1) Registrar of Contractors (10) restaurant (3) Roam Research (1) Spanish (1) spoken Latin (2) Steve Chandler (1) theology (1) travel (4) trial de novo (5) Ventura (2) writing on the Internet (1) Zettelkasten (1)
