About me...
Well, it appears that you've stumbled into The Clearing. Welcome.
The Clearing is my place among the trees. It used to be that the deep forest was a wild, dangerous place. All kinds of nasty things were supposed to live there. And, it just wasn't the forest. Any piece of wilderness was supposed to be filled with unimaginable ugliness, and it was only through the pacifying force of civilization that we could achieve goodness and light. We've since figured out that's not the case, and a clearing in the woods is no longer a refuge from the dark but just part of the natural life cycle of a forest. To me, in fact, wilderness is safer and makes more sense than does the city.
The burned-in photo of lichen was taken last year near Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I was there on vacation with my mom and my son. You can read about it here, here, here, here, and here (see next paragraph).
Update, Dec. 2, 6:36 p.m.--The tree comes from a photo I took in Mt. Pleasant's Island Park on the last day of November, 2006, for my first redesign. The old photo was a burned in photo of some lichen taken during a May trip to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. By all means, read about it through the links above.
When people ask you about yourself, mostly the first thing that comes to mind is what job you do. My answer is that I consider myself an environmentalist. That is to say that my lifestyle and personal attitudes are all shaped by the natural world in which we live. People like to push environmental policies to save the planet. The planet doesn't need our assistance. Environmentalism is about saving the human race, and if I hug a tree it's only because the tree manufactures oxygen I require for life.
Luckily, based on the way things work, you usually deserve whatever fate you meet. A person who goes into the wilderness well prepared will usually make it out okay. Someone who wanders into the forest in nothing but a pair of blue jeans learns the hard lesson that wet, heavy cotton doesn't trap heat and that most cases of hypothermia occur somewhere between temperatures in the mid-40s to low-50s. So, it goes with humanity as a whole.
Update, 3:57 a.m., Dec. 3--A quick word on the content. This is largely a politically-oriented blog, and largely focused on environmental issues. But, there will be considerable straying, as necessary, to include mockery of those who have -- to force a metaphor -- wandered into a forest snowstorm wearing blue jeans.
The Clearing is my place among the trees. It used to be that the deep forest was a wild, dangerous place. All kinds of nasty things were supposed to live there. And, it just wasn't the forest. Any piece of wilderness was supposed to be filled with unimaginable ugliness, and it was only through the pacifying force of civilization that we could achieve goodness and light. We've since figured out that's not the case, and a clearing in the woods is no longer a refuge from the dark but just part of the natural life cycle of a forest. To me, in fact, wilderness is safer and makes more sense than does the city.
Update, Dec. 2, 6:36 p.m.--The tree comes from a photo I took in Mt. Pleasant's Island Park on the last day of November, 2006, for my first redesign. The old photo was a burned in photo of some lichen taken during a May trip to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. By all means, read about it through the links above.
When people ask you about yourself, mostly the first thing that comes to mind is what job you do. My answer is that I consider myself an environmentalist. That is to say that my lifestyle and personal attitudes are all shaped by the natural world in which we live. People like to push environmental policies to save the planet. The planet doesn't need our assistance. Environmentalism is about saving the human race, and if I hug a tree it's only because the tree manufactures oxygen I require for life.
Luckily, based on the way things work, you usually deserve whatever fate you meet. A person who goes into the wilderness well prepared will usually make it out okay. Someone who wanders into the forest in nothing but a pair of blue jeans learns the hard lesson that wet, heavy cotton doesn't trap heat and that most cases of hypothermia occur somewhere between temperatures in the mid-40s to low-50s. So, it goes with humanity as a whole.
Update, 3:57 a.m., Dec. 3--A quick word on the content. This is largely a politically-oriented blog, and largely focused on environmental issues. But, there will be considerable straying, as necessary, to include mockery of those who have -- to force a metaphor -- wandered into a forest snowstorm wearing blue jeans.
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1 Comments:
After I read your comment about hypothermia often occuring at outdoor temperatures significantly above freezing, I don't feel like I'm being wimpy anymore when I say that I think I came "that close" to hypothermia in the summertime. This was on the northern extreme of Lake Huron during a downpour close to twenty years ago. We were fishing off I think it was the Les Cheneaux Islands, and we ended up taking "shelter" on some non-tropical version of Gilligan's Island called Government Island. When we finally made it back to our cars hours later, I was sure I was on the verge of something I'd never experienced before and didn't want to experience. I don't think being real thin and having several beers under my belt helped any either.
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