Loneliness is draining; solitude is invigorating

Over the years, I have come to relish my solitude. I simply enjoy my own company. Being around others, especially many others, is draining. I know this isn’t a normal thing for most humanity, after all, we are social creatures, or so the saying goes. I found the saying below so many years ago and I long since forgotten its source. Loneliness is being alone … Continue reading Loneliness is draining; solitude is invigorating

Senior Citizens & Technology

I love this quote 😎. I am a techie and a senior citizen, so I just can’t understand why so many in my RetCom are so averse to technology? But, then again, one of the RetComs I visited this summer had 75% of the residents choosing to receive their daily information via smartphone, tablet, or computer. I think it comes down to just convincing seniors … Continue reading Senior Citizens & Technology

Learning From Those Wiser Than Us

This is a new thing at RJsCorner which is primarily about quotes from people usually smarter than us, that are meant to teach us a little about life outside our boxes. Most quotes are taken from a larger document and are drawn out by wordsmiths like me who see them as the perfect words to relay a much more profound message. In other wordsvthey draw … Continue reading Learning From Those Wiser Than Us

Artsy Saturday – Learning To Sketch Lesson- An Update

Progress has been slow in this endeavor to learn how to sketch. Maybe I am too impatient to wait out being accomplished at it. Or perhaps I just don’t think I will, with the time left for me, ever be accomplished at this new thing. So, I am going to take a shortcut in getting to the expected end result I desire. I am quite … Continue reading Artsy Saturday – Learning To Sketch Lesson- An Update

Artsy Fartsy Saturday – The Ubiquitous Weaving Loom.

I have visited more historic colonies than I can even count during my Search Of America, and almost every one has a version of a loom in it. Without even serving its function the loom itself has an artsy feel. My wife really loved weaved rugs, so we had more of them around the house than I could even count. I know, those types of … Continue reading Artsy Fartsy Saturday – The Ubiquitous Weaving Loom.

I Love History, But I Don’t Want To Relive It…

I have been a history fanatic for most of my life and do enjoy visiting many of the sites I have read about. But, I want to make it clear that I don’t want to relive history. I study it so that I can learn about how others have, or haven’t successfully lived their lives. As the old saying goes History doesn’t repeat itself, but … Continue reading I Love History, But I Don’t Want To Relive It…

Every Pic Tells A Story – Graffiti Art And Hoosier Cabinets

I have always been entranced by graffiti art. Some of it is so complex and beautiful. When I recently visited Switchyard Park in my hometown of Bloomington Indiana, it linked my memories of graffiti with some local history that means a lot to me. When I visited the park for the first time I discovered that a now derelict building was a critical part of … Continue reading Every Pic Tells A Story – Graffiti Art And Hoosier Cabinets

Artsy Fartsy – Sketching – Practicing Strokes

So far in my studies to become a sketcher I have learned about how to anatomically draw lines, shading, and other such things. Liron suggested that I should pick something around the household to practice on. That brought to mind something that I have been thinking about for some time. Why not take a photo from my 22,000 piece portfolio and trace it using what … Continue reading Artsy Fartsy – Sketching – Practicing Strokes

About Artsy Saturdays (and other such things)

For this Artsy Saturday let’s step back and look at the broader view of things. Artsy Saturday is a part of the trilogy of new projects I am starting at RJsCorner. The banner above shows the other two. For the most part, Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays are now dedicated to becoming a better artist, storyteller, and thinker. Part of my “Never Stop Learning” mantra is … Continue reading About Artsy Saturdays (and other such things)

EPS #2 – Every Picture Has a Story… A Picture In Pieces

The Story – Calming The Savage Beast My late wife was a picture puzzle addict from the get go. Over our 35-year marriage, there was almost no time that there wasn’t picture puzzle pieces strewn across her “puzzle table”. Yes, she had a table specifically in her hobby room for that purpose. Frequently during those 35 years she tried to convince me to take up … Continue reading EPS #2 – Every Picture Has a Story… A Picture In Pieces

Artsy Fartsy #3 – It’s ALL About Practice…

Let’s face it, anything that is worth doing takes practice. If you want to learn how to play a guitar, as I did in my teen years, it takes hours and hours of practice. The more you practice, the better you get. It’s as simple as that. During those years, I became a folk song fanatic. I loved all the usual stars of the 1960s. … Continue reading Artsy Fartsy #3 – It’s ALL About Practice…

Introducing Artsy Fartsy Saturdays

Going forward, I am going to dedicate the weekends here at RJsCorner to showcase my artistic talents, especially in sketching. In my youth I was kinda proud of the sketchings that I made. For some reason, I never tried to develop that talent beyond the very rudimentary level, and now after all these years, even that level of skill has vanished. Starting today, I aim … Continue reading Introducing Artsy Fartsy Saturdays

Roadtripping, The How-To’s

A few posts ago I tried to convince you to do a roadtrip instead of getting on an airplane. I will soon be going on a roadtrip that is sixty years in the making, so I decided to refresh my knowledge on this subject. To me, preparation is the road to success. This post will give us some of the “how-to’s” of having a successful … Continue reading Roadtripping, The How-To’s

Resetting my Life Goals

“My wife’s death five months ago yesterday caused me to do some pretty serious soul-searching. It made me realize that I was just going-with-the-flow in too many areas of my life. I was aimlessly moving from one day to another without much purpose. When I found out how quickly things can change, I become more determined than ever to live the rest of my life … Continue reading Resetting my Life Goals

RJsCorner – It’s Time For A Change

RJsCorner is in its 14th year now, so I have covered countless categories in the 5,000 posts you will find here. As the years have gone by my primary focus here has changed several times. The latest change will be “officially” announced on this Thursday’s post. This change, which was started a few weeks ago, is perhaps the most difficult one for me as it … Continue reading RJsCorner – It’s Time For A Change

A Cultural Overhaul

RJsCorner is not known to shy away from controversial subjects, so with the post, I am “having my say” about the Critical Race Theory (CRT). Maybe we should call Critical Race Theory a cultural overhaul, since CRT seems to be so threatening to many of us. It kinda makes sense to do that anyway. Let’s look at just what “Critical theory” in general really means. … Continue reading A Cultural Overhaul

Kid’s Nature Discovery Art Contest

A Children’s Art Contest gallery was recently displayed at my retirement community. The talent shown by these young artists is amazing. I was particularly drawn to the one above. 10 years-old and already painting such beautiful pictures. It is very Van Gogh like in it simplicity. I don’t want to leave you with just this one picture, so here is a gallery of a few … Continue reading Kid’s Nature Discovery Art Contest

The Pursuit of Happiness #1 – Changing My View

Welcome to the new Wednesday series entitled The Pursuit of Happiness. This series, we will be studying what happiness has meant throughout the ages, and trying to discover within ourselves what it means to each of us. As usual, I don’t have a step-by-step agenda for this new series yet. It will depend on what we discover on our path to happiness. A primary reason … Continue reading The Pursuit of Happiness #1 – Changing My View

My Passions Come And Go…

Passions in my life seem to come and go, but a few stick around almost forever. Twenty years ago, I was passionate about learning more about the origins and history of Christianity. That passion subsided about ten years later, with a major disappointment in how most of the churches today have veered away from the teachings of Jesus. As soon as I graduated from college … Continue reading My Passions Come And Go…