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Failed State of Enlightenment @fsoenlightenment.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

A beautiful fake fall night in DC watching baseball.

Wide angle view of Nationals Park at the Nationals v. Phillies game.

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Failed State of Enlightenment @fsoenlightenment.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

And the trophy for the series goes to South Africa!

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Failed State of Enlightenment @fsoenlightenment.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

First bite. Clouds are threatening so I doubt I'll get to see the peak eclipse. But I at least got to see the start.

The moon with a small slice of its lower left edge hidden by the Earth's shadow.

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Failed State of Enlightenment @fsoenlightenment.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Critters seen in my backyard during our outdoor movie night. A rosy maple moth A red footed cannibal fly A red spotted purple butterfly

A rosy maple moth clinging to a pebbled black surface

A red footed cannibal fly standing on grey concrete

A red spotted purple butterfly with wings spread, standing on the edge of a blue, black, and brown edges of a pool skimmer robot.

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Failed State of Enlightenment @fsoenlightenment.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Delivery van surprised me today with the Vampire's Tale Tarot deck from @abigaillarson.com and Sasha Graham (not sure if she's on this site). Love the deck and the book. Great art, great quality and feel to each of the cards. A nice addition to my collection.

A stack of tarot cards, with the Fool card prominent, spills across a small book titled The Vampire's Tale. A silver bracelet with wolf heads lay across the book. Just below a corner of the book is a copper disk with Nordic knotwork around the edge of the disk. Four stone dice with the Norse runes tiwaz, pertho, fehu, and sowilo are spread above the deck of tarot cards

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Failed State of Enlightenment @fsoenlightenment.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

In light of recent US politician obituaries, I present a Toad in a Hole.

A toad trying to cram itself into a hole in a stone wall, with only its butt sticking out.

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Failed State of Enlightenment @fsoenlightenment.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Woke up early today to catch the sun rise on my birthday. I'm not doing anything more special than that.

A line of trees silhoutted against the dawn sky. Thin clouds are tinted by the dawn light. The sky is colored orange at the horizon and shifts to blue. A faint pillar of light rises from the not-yet-visible sun.

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Failed State of Enlightenment @fsoenlightenment.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Me: I think I'll eat my breakfast at the counter today. Dog: Our breakfast.

Dog with shaggy gray hair and black nose looks at the camera, his right eye just visible from beneath long eyebrows. He is standing next to a grey countertop in a kitchen.

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Failed State of Enlightenment @fsoenlightenment.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

And the clematis bloomed pretty crazy this year. I think we had one blossom last year.

A half dozen purple clematis flowers, green leaves and grass, black climbing trellis

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Failed State of Enlightenment @fsoenlightenment.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

As I was walking g through New York late last night, we saw this really interesting restaurant that we won't have the opportunity to try. It seems like it would be eating in a coloring book. Shirokuro was the name. Maybe it'll be here the next time I visit.

A restaurant interior where the edges of the white tables and chairs are lined in heavy black lines. The walls are white with line art images like from a coloring book. The only colors was a steel silver piece of equipment, the shiny plastics of a point-of-sale system, and the restaurant staff in black t-shirts, caps, and blue jeans.

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Failed State of Enlightenment @fsoenlightenment.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

At the Lost Boys on Broadway. Great set, great music. Performers are killing it! Act 1 done, waiting for Act 2. Yes, there was a Sax Man in Act 1. He was phenomenal.

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Failed State of Enlightenment @fsoenlightenment.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

The orchid is flourishing. Spring is just around the corner.

Three red and yellow orchid flowers open, several unopened buds on the stem. The pot sits in a window sill.

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Failed State of Enlightenment @fsoenlightenment.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

I got tired of the news so I opened up a window and looked out at the night sky. Jupiter was very bright tonight, especially when spotted through a pair of big binoculars.

An open window, trees lit, stars in the sky with Jupiter centered. A pair of binoculars in shadow point up at the planet.

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Failed State of Enlightenment @fsoenlightenment.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

Happy New Year, BlueSky! May your 2026 be better than all the years that came before. Burn the ships that brought you here. There is no going back. There is only forward.

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Failed State of Enlightenment @fsoenlightenment.bsky.social · 27/11/2025

9) There should be a shelf life for a politician. Past that point, are you really there for your constituents or there because of inertia? I ran out of steam on these, but this helped me work some mental knots out. Too much clutter in my brain. Have a picture of a dog as a reward for reading.

A Grey Irish wolfhound wearing a tartan collar looking to the right side of the frame. Brown and orange leaves lay on the ground. Trees in the background have dark brown or dark grey bark and green, yellow, and orange leaves.

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Failed State of Enlightenment @fsoenlightenment.bsky.social · 18/05/2025

Went for a ride and found this fine specimen on the steering wheel. I think it wanted to drive.

A close up of a jumping spider on a steering wheel

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Failed State of Enlightenment @fsoenlightenment.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

The peony in the front bloomed. This was the only bud on this bush, but I suspect future years will have more.

A pink peony bloom open in the sun, green plants in the background.

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Failed State of Enlightenment @fsoenlightenment.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

Mornings are a quiet time of reflection. Most are walked head down, ruminating on the day ahead. But some mornings, I take a moment to look up and see the paintings of light in the sky. I hope we all have a moment to look outward and see the beauty that is all around us.

Bands of pale pink and grey clouds stripe the light blue skies at sunrise. A thin crescent moon is high in the shy, it's silver-white shine a contrast to the dark line of trees below.

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Failed State of Enlightenment @fsoenlightenment.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

A distraction: a ladybug I saved from my pool.

A ladybug with red body and black dots. It's headband midsection is black with white dots.

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Failed State of Enlightenment @fsoenlightenment.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

Came down with COVID over a super nice weekend in my area. I watched from my window as the buds became flowers. I went out today to get closer to spring. I didn't miss spring. And I'm getting better.

A pink magnolia blossom opens. A bud can be seen just behind on a branch with small green leaves.

A pair of white daffodils with pale yellow throats and green leaves.

Purple hellebore bloom with a purple bud next to it. A stone wall is just out of focus to the right of the flowers.

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Failed State of Enlightenment @fsoenlightenment.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

My view from early this morning. Overslept my alarm and almost missed totality. I am always awed by the night sky, even in the mostly light polluted area I live in. How many millions and millions of stories are being told just out of our reach? How many will mankind never hear?

The moon in the center above trees without leaves, colored red from the earth's shadow. Stars speckle the sky.

The moon shaded red from the earth's umbra/shadow. Two stars can be seen in the back sky.

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Failed State of Enlightenment @fsoenlightenment.bsky.social · 07/03/2025

Blue skies with white clouds. The clouds looked like someone dragged their finger through the icing of a cake.

Blue sky with thin white clouds, bare tree branches

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Failed State of Enlightenment @fsoenlightenment.bsky.social · 09/12/2024

Looking up through the trees in winter makes me think that the sky looks cracked and shattered, especially on a clear evening. I'm sure there is a story in the somewhere, or a poem at least. Maybe one day I'll get around to writing it.

Half-full moon in a deep blue sky surrounded by black branches making the sky appear cracked.

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Failed State of Enlightenment @fsoenlightenment.bsky.social · 22/11/2024

First snow of the season. None is sticking around, so there is no need to break out the snow removal equipment. It's my favorite kind of snow.

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Failed State of Enlightenment @fsoenlightenment.bsky.social · 15/11/2024

It's been a rough week. Fortunately, I could see the moon tonight instead of just clouds.

Full moon with a single tree branch crossing in front.

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Failed State of Enlightenment @fsoenlightenment.bsky.social · 20/10/2024

Sometimes the skies show a beautiful canvas without clouds or contrails. I didn't see a comet, but that's okay. There can be beauty in disappointment.

A clear horizon after sunset, a thin dark orange band at the horizon with the skies changing to indigo the further above the horizon.

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Failed State of Enlightenment @fsoenlightenment.bsky.social · 15/05/2024

This distinguished feline was our drinking companion tonight. We have deduced it must b an abassador-at-large, maybe a cultural attache, between the cats of Athens and the tourists who haunt their streets.

A brown cat with gold eyes and white muzzle sitting on a bench.

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Failed State of Enlightenment @fsoenlightenment.bsky.social · 12/05/2024

Three years ago today, I said goodbye to Rune, who was the best dog that ever loved me. He had epilepsy and needed to choke down a crap ton of pills daily, but he was always excited for our next adventure, even when his body didn't work. I miss him still and will have a hard time not missing him.

White German shepherd dog sitting in front of pink and white azalea bushes

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Failed State of Enlightenment @fsoenlightenment.bsky.social · 05/05/2024

Grey and rainy in my neck of the woods, matching a bit of my mood of late. However, spring blossoms pop up in and provide a burst of sunshine, even in the rain.

white magnolia blossom with green leaves, yellow and red stamen, rain drops on the petals and leaves.

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Failed State of Enlightenment @fsoenlightenment.bsky.social · 08/04/2024

View from my part of the sky just after its maximum. It's not as impressive as totality, but it's still an awe-inspiring sight.

A thin crescent Sun mostly eclipsed by the moon, obscured by clouds colored black, blue, and grey.

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