Author Archives: Phil Christensen

About Phil Christensen

The trail behind me is littered with failure. The trail before me remains to be seen.

Why We’re Not In Space Yet.

“Because I don’t want to go to Space.” That’s how my wife answered the question. Of course getting her on a plane would prove a challenge, so there you go. I cut my teeth on Star Trek – an optimistic … Continue reading

Posted in Current Events, Science & Technology | 7 Comments

The Tree. A Short Tale of Winter Solstice.

The Tree. Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg, George III’s consort is generally credited with ordering the first Christmas Tree in England, making it enormously popular with the aristocracy of the time.

Posted in Defining Western Civilization, Hearth and Altar, History | Leave a comment

We Keep Watching The Same Medical Drama

The Medical Drama you’re watching today is the same one your parents watched.  They same one.  This isn’t to say that some aren’t interesting, or that they don’t have decent character development. If you’re a fan, I get it. But you’re watching … Continue reading

Posted in Movies, Television | 2 Comments

How The Federal Government Jacked With Your Retirement

Retirement – sounds so final, doesn’t it?  You’re not getting there.  Not the way you think. Or not the way you thought.  Remember the days of company financed pensions?  Yeah, neither do I. This post contains affiliate links.

Posted in Current Events, History, National Debt | 4 Comments

A Simple Soldier, & The Battle of Remagen

March, 1945. A war-ravaged continent, a bridge called Ludendorff, and a town called Remagen. Die-hard patches of snow littered the ground here and there. Months before, the German Wehrmacht launched a daring winter offensive, nearly negating the hard-fought Allied gains … Continue reading

Posted in Hearth and Altar, History | 3 Comments

The Colonel’s Reading List – An Eclectic Edition

The shelves are almost up.  Really.  One way or another this room is going to be completed by Thanksgiving. In the meantime, the de-humidifier is running nearly 24 hours a day down in the basement, otherwise the books will just … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Hearth and Altar | 1 Comment

Trump’s Election: Struggling With Meaning.

This election week has been a struggle for me. That’s unusual, because I don’t struggle with anything. I make a serious effort to remain centered around my God which by default means I am also centered around my principles. The sorting … Continue reading

Posted in Current Events | 16 Comments

A Functioning Society – How It All (Really) Works

Some Of Us Need Better Hobbies. This past week students advocating for segregation at the University of Berkley, CA attempted to block some of their fellow students from attending classes. You can read about it here.  It occurred to me: … Continue reading

Posted in Current Events, Defining Western Civilization, Socialism | Tagged | 3 Comments

Movies That I Like & My Kids Hate

Pop-Culture Gap In General, Movies in Particular. “Hate” may be a strong word.  Our children are often bored by what we find interesting.  Most of us can relate.  Like a feminist matron glumly watching a lovingly gifted special edition copy … Continue reading

Posted in Movies | Tagged | 8 Comments

A Different Kind of Reformation

Islam requires reformation. This needs to be said, therefore let’s stop dancing around the issue. To my knowledge Hindus, Taoists, and Buddhists generally don’t strap on bombs, and they don’t  seek out soft targets in the Western World. One could make a … Continue reading

Posted in Current Events, Defining Western Civilization, Politics | Tagged | 3 Comments