While we're on the subject of prefixes, one of my new favorite units of measurement is a barn-megaparsec, which has a volume of roughly 2/3 of a teaspoon

This, of course, is only second in awesomeness to the beard-second.

Back on the femtofarm

Coining terms is hard. I was tilling this afternoon (I now laugh at those who told me to have a machine do this-- digging with my own muscle power is wonderful), when the term "microfarm" beamed through my head. I was for a moment, a little proud of myself, thinking of a cute little term like this, and then began to immediately consider what this was.

In the mental definition derived this afternoon, a microfarm is in many respects similar to a garden-- generally small in area (much less than one acre), which can be maintained by a single microfarmer with little trouble. The overarching philosophy behind this was to separate that which myself and many others are doing from gardening. Firstly, I will say that I have no ill-will or disregard for this hobby, but I wonder what happens when a hobby becomes more serious? Avoiding a mental compulsion to work in a garden, a "serious gardener" (doesn't "microfarmer" sound better, though?) is growing for a greater philosophical, social, political and/or economic goals. The microfarmer is focusing on sustainability-- can s/he support him/herself on their homegrown produce? Is this microfarmer intentionally removing themselves from the greater machine of consumerism?

Perhaps this is a bit of naiveté on my part, having only started myself own this path of gardening. I do, after all, have a tendency to do this. I suppose that when many hear the term "gardening," this brings to mind the image of a retiree hobby (my grandfather, incidentally, growing amazing tomatoes), but I hope to be something more, taking on a more serious tone about this. Then again, it would be nice to expand from micro- to macro-farming-- this, of course, is a very long-term goal in the gentleman farmer project (just love the 18th-century phrasing).

Nonetheless, once I had finished the tilling, and cleaned-up, I did a quick check on Google to discover that I had been far from the first to think of a "microfarm." As it turns out, a microfarm is in essence, a small family farm, with a few livestock generally spread-out over an area of two acres or so. Not terribly suprised by this result, I did another search for "nanofarm," which I felt was a more accurate description of my activities in light of what I had just learned (my plot is about 0.003 acres). The disappointment began to become palpable. "What about pico-? That ought to be the new prefix for the next decade!" One would think that the phrase picofarm was never used before. Now frustrated, I had found open territory on the term femtofarm. Granted, I am happy that atto-, zepto-, and yocto- never became options, but at this point, it seems a bit silly, but I will take what I can get

I throw this to the readers-- am I a femtofarmer, or a gardener?

I am debating deleting the prior post. Looking back, this is incredibly sophomoric and childish.

many fears are borne of fatigue and loneliness

The Desiderata. I really should have a posting of that somewhere here in my office, but this appears to be something or another which was never really unpacked. For that matter, something in my classroom as well.

I will thank the counsel of a friend for encouraging me to take up this blog once more. Unfortunately-- as always, lately-- I am short on time. I need to prepare a lecture for Thursday night in addition to writing a test. Not too much to whine about, I know, but I have put this off long enough. This will be my regularity. This will be a bit of healing.

More to come

why did I even pay money (for a year no less!) to someone to host a website which no one ever visited? I'm not feeling sorry for myself,but the fact is that besides my own, there were perhaps two or three hits per month.

So where am I now? Shouting at the darkness? I might as well let go here.

I have no idea why I get down like this-- everything is just the way it should be. I need to improve mystation. I need toexercize. I needtowrite.Ineed to soanything other thanwanderaround the house aimlessly. I don't know if I even can... afteralloftheopportunites and falsestarts, should I have gone somewhere with something bynow?

fuck it iwont even bothertofix the typoes.

fuck it,just fuck it . I'm done