This is the Long Version Joseph Ivan Long

I talk about the challenge of being an Artist, which means having enough singular confidence to believe that what you have benefits the world in ways that can be difficult to measure, and the challenge of being a Parent or Teacher, which means having enough humility to believe that you must pass along the very best of your knowledge, skills, experience, and character to those who will likely surpass you - if you do your job well.

00:10:50 Micro-musings

These are partially-formed thoughts and ideas about life. Here is a sampling below:

If you’re on a really tight budget, then one idea that sometimes works is to buy a house on top of a mountain, and then spend a couple years carefully cultivating a strong relationship with a neighbor who has a flatbed truck and ramp, and when the moment seems right, you ask her if she’d be willing to load your car up every evening on the way up the mountain so you don’t have to pay for gas, and then the next morning you coast down in neutral, and then voila, evening rolls around and you’re all set and your gas bill is way better. Cycle continues. Tip: have your neighbor sign a contract committing to the plan for at least seven years. Win-win: you save money and she has a good friend for life. Or seven years.

A special holiday edition, in which I talk about hellos & goodbyes, the importance of forgetting, poetry in bed, and a very special Christmas Eve story about me and my dad shopping on the night of December 24.

I tell a couple stories about conversations with various strangers and people about race, politics, and reasons why a certain someone should probably not be reelected.

Some of it may be humorous and illuminating.

Three big topics in this episode, amidst discussing my dad and his baking skills. The big three are 1) a mini-biography of Socrates, 2) theories and thoughts on Earth’s origins and the challenges of reconciling reason and faith, science and religion, and 3) my Ten Commandments of Homeschooling (or any kind of schooling).

A conversation with musician, comic, web personality, and cultural philosopher Lanessa Long. Oh, and she's my sister. We discuss a variety of topics, including swimming, fears, art, and COVID. Also, we dance and banter around a bunch of other half-finished meanderings about being an aunt, politics, film, books, and other items that interest us. Lanessa is an artist who blends up music and comedy into sometimes interwoven, sometimes separate genres via stand-up, film, and sketch improv.

Also, she is a magnificent and and magical human being whose presence, even virtual and remote, may fill with you a thoughtful energy and renewed interest in living a unique and imaginative life.

This episode clocks in at 37 minutes and 57 seconds.

A little about Christopher Nolan, Costco, galaxies, and the movie "Crawl." A lot about mask-deniers, perverse expressions of empathy, being a parent during this pandemic, and the importance of shared vocabulary and news sources in discussing issues. Also, I close with Eleven Things every human being should think about in order to live a fantastic and full life during this time. Love y'all.