Slope of Hope Blog Posts

Slope initially began as a blog, so this is where most of the website’s content resides. Here we have tens of thousands of posts dating back over a decade. These are listed in reverse chronological order. Click on any category icon below to see posts tagged with that particular subject, or click on a word in the category cloud on the right side of the screen for more specific choices.

Dollars for Dreaming

By -

Here is a fascinating infographic: it shows what constitutes (for sane, normal folks) a good life in our once-great republic. Costs sure have gone up! My wedding, which was quite a grand affair, cost all of $14,000. On the other hand, private schools tack on a million dollars for EACH kid. So, yeah, some dreams are more costly than others, although, for my funeral, you can just leave my corpse in the lobby of the Eccles Building, just for the lulz.

Philly Phirst Impressions

By -

Greetings from Philadelphia. Specifically, downtown Philly near Rittenhouse Square. I’ve never stayed in this city in my entire life, but it’s been a fun few hours thus far. Judgmental chap that I am, here are a few quick takes I’ve got:

  • The roads are really, really narrow, like they were designed for Ford Model A;s from the 1920s;
  • The freeways are insanely crowded, even at 2 in the afternoon;
  • Indeed, the cars on city streets are so close, I’m amazed I haven’t been sideswiped yet;
  • The drivers are super aggressive;
  • Not just that, but even the bicyclists are aggressive! I witnessed one guy on a 10-speed plow right into a pedestrian. No one was hurt, but the guy didn’t even apologize. He just rode off like nothing happened.
  • There are plenty of sweet dogs being walked around; I tend to be amazingly good at guessing the weight of dogs (one of my useless skills), and I encountered a working military dog at the airport. I told his handler he looked to be 75 pounds, and he looked at me with an astonished face, telling me that’s precisely what the dog weighed. Another win for the Timster!
  • I’m actually seeing Trump/Vance signs, and I honestly have never seen one before in my life. Ever.
(more…)