It has been sometime since I visited the core purpose of this blog – the continued exploration of Baltasar Gracian’s The Art of Worldly Wisdom. As a person who strongly believes philosophy plays a vital role in understanding our world, I rely heavily on the concept of ‘the state of nature’. In many ways I …
Author Archives: Sean D. Francis
Rhubarb Coffee Cake
I grew up in Montana with a big garden. In one corner of the garden was a patch of rhubarb. Honestly, if I wasn’t raised with it, I would have just considered it a big overgrown weed. I would eat it raw, dipping it into sugar to counteract the bitter taste. My mom would make …
The Chicago Style Hot Dog Salad
While eating at one of Chicago’s many hot dog places with a friend who was enjoying a hot dog with the works, I had an idea for something different. In Chicago a hot dog with everything on it is something special. It is a unique masterpiece that has its origins in lore. Vienna Beef provides …
The Art of Worldly Wisdom: 11
Education isn’t something that happens in the first part of your life while in school. Education occurs constantly. The problem is once we leave school it isn’t always clear how we get our education. Gracian addresses this point clearly and distinctly. The people we choose to surround ourselves with are the people who become our …
Valloween
Way back in 1999, I wrote an essay called Valloween for one of my many now defunct webzine attempts called Ariadne’s Thread. I still love that title, but that was a different life. Each February, I dust off the essay and post it somewhere, usually in my Livejournal or whatever website is currently the focus …
Nobody Uses the Internet on Fridays
I woke up this morning filled with season’s cheer. Or beef sticks. I get confused between the two. Either way, I have the holidays on the mind. Since no one uses the internet on Fridays, I’m going to sneak in a few fun videos I came across.