All In A Days Karma: January 2013

In the winter of 1985 I was driving through the Mojave Desert with a friend, talking about our apparent need for new river gear. As we passed the Twenty Nine Palms Marine Base, a man unexpectedly appeared on the side of the road selling used ammo cans. My friend and I laughed wildly and quickly came to realize that the moment was "All In A Days' Karma". This blog contains the occasional ramblings of a died-in-the-wool westerner who loves seeing, understanding, and being alive upon these landscapes. I cherish the moments of bliss and irony that come to all of us as we explore the planet and its residents (and perhaps visitors) in the short time we are here.

Monday, January 21, 2013

Explaining The Complex Simply

I recently took a shot at a suggestion given to me by Anne Jefferson over at Highly Allochthonous. It is an exercise where you can only use the most common 1,000 words to describe complex topics. You can access the site here. Take a crack at it. Note that the program will prompt you when you type an illegal word! Here was my attempt:

“My job is to make hard to understand ideas easier to approach for those who have no training in them. I write stories about things that are studied by the few, in ways that can be understood by the many. I write about the land and how it came to look the way it does today. This deals with what happened here on our home a long, long time ago. Most people never think about such things so it is a real big job to try to make it interesting. I keep trying and that is why I love my job.”

Good luck!