The Diner

Welcome to the Diner!

Come sit at the counter of our virtual diner and let us serve you a slice of mental pie! It’ll go good with a cup of coffee, then you get your refreshed self back to the fray with a few new beautiful thoughts to think.

In today’s episode we continue to explore the idea of Internet-as-Fairyland, and talk about how the life of abstraction is not limited to the internet. We end with so much left unsaid, and we welcome your thoughts as well.

Grab your favorite drink and let’s keep the conversation going!

Also, make sure to check out Laura’s Goblin Market Curriculum, available on her website. This innovative family study uses Christina Rossetti's "Goblin Market" as a lens for understanding our digital age challenges. Through guided discussions, creative activities, and Orthodox theological insights, families discover how fairy tale wisdom applies to internet navigation, social media relationships, and technology discernment.

Welcome to the Diner!

Come sit at the counter of our virtual diner and let us serve you a slice of mental pie! It’ll go good with a cup of coffee, then you get your refreshed self back to the fray with a few new beautiful thoughts to think.

In today’s episode we continue to explore the idea of Internet-as-Fairyland, and we talk about why and how we turn to the internet, especially when we’re bored and dissatisfied. (Shout out to Nicole M. Roccas for explaining the concept of acedia so well in her excellent book, Time and Despondency.

Grab your favorite drink and let’s keep the conversation going!

Also, make sure to check out Laura’s Goblin Market Curriculum, available on her website. Well worth reading and working through with you family as you learn to navigate the perils of the fairyland of the internet.

Welcome to the Diner!

Come sit at the counter of our virtual diner and let us serve you a slice of mental pie! It’ll go good with a cup of coffee, then you get your refreshed self back to the fray with a few new beautiful thoughts to think.

In today’s episode we begin to explore the idea of Internet-as-Fairyland, sparked by an essay, penned by Katherine Dee, which is well summarized both here: What is Fairyland? and in this NYT piece.

Come join us as we follow our meandering way along the trail of fantasy and what it might have to do with virtual reality, and share your own thoughts as you encounter ours.

Grab your favorite drink and let’s keep the conversation going!

Also, make sure to check out Laura’s Goblin Market Curriculum, available on her website. Well worth reading and working through with you family as you learn to navigate the perils of the fairyland of the internet.

Welcome to season 3 of our podcast!

This episode is the final part of the conversation that we had with Timothy G. Patitsas

Here we talked a little bit about AI — what to make of it, how to think about it, and how to approach it in a beauty-first way — as well as economics, capitalism and how Lent ends in a failure for a reason. Enjoy the conversation, and join it in the comments!

Dr. Timothy G. Patitsas is the author of The Ethics of Beauty and can be found on substack at Beauty First Films as well as off substack at www.beautyfirstfilms.com

His recent film about St. Amphilochios of Patmos is now available.

Also, a hat tip to Anna Vander Wall for giving us a fun note on which to end the conversation!

And as always, don’t forget to check out Laura’s new sex ed curriculum: Sex Ed for Sane People

It’s “…a sex education curriculum written from an Orthodox perspective, from an author with a bachelor's degree in biology. Written for high school students on the cusp of adulthood, with the prerequisite of high school biology, this course introduces concepts in anatomy and physiology, embryology, theology, and ethics. This material is framed and presented as an expression of religious freedom.”

Welcome to season 3 of our podcast!

This episode is part of the conversation that we had with Timothy G. Patitsas

Here we continued our thoughts about education and covered topics ranging from trades to biographies to beginning with problems rather than answers.

Enjoy the conversation, and join it in the comments!

Dr. Timothy G. Patitsas is the author of The Ethics of Beauty and can be found on substack at Beauty First Films as well as off substack at www.beautyfirstfilms.com

His recent film about St. Amphilochios of Patmos is now available.

And as always, don’t forget to check out Laura’s new sex ed curriculum: Sex Ed for Sane People

It’s “…a sex education curriculum written from an Orthodox perspective, from an author with a bachelor's degree in biology. Written for high school students on the cusp of adulthood, with the prerequisite of high school biology, this course introduces concepts in anatomy and physiology, embryology, theology, and ethics. This material is framed and presented as an expression of religious freedom.”

Welcome to season 3 of our podcast!

This episode is part of the conversation that we had with Timothy G. Patitsas

This episode is focused mostly on education and what it looks like to have a Beauty-first approach to it. We didn’t even bring up Charlotte Mason by name(!), but you’ll see as you listen that everything we talked about dovetails “beautifully” with her methods.

Enjoy the conversation, and join it in the comments!

Dr. Timothy G. Patitsas is the author of The Ethics of Beauty and can be found on substack at Beauty First Films as well as off substack at www.beautyfirstfilms.com

His recent film about St. Amphilochios of Patmos is now available.

And as always, don’t forget to check out Laura’s new sex ed curriculum: Sex Ed for Sane People

It’s “…a sex education curriculum written from an Orthodox perspective, from an author with a bachelor's degree in biology. Written for high school students on the cusp of adulthood, with the prerequisite of high school biology, this course introduces concepts in anatomy and physiology, embryology, theology, and ethics. This material is framed and presented as an expression of religious freedom.”

Welcome to season 3 of our podcast!

This episode and the three that follow it are all part of the conversation that we had with Timothy G. Patitsas. We started out by talking about his book, The Ethics of Beauty, which is what you will hear in this episode, but the conversation continued and covered quite a wide range of topics.

Enjoy the conversation, and join it in the comments!

Dr. Timothy G. Patitsas is the author of The Ethics of Beauty and can be found on substack at Beauty First Films as well as off substack at www.beautyfirstfilms.com

His recent film about St. Amphilochios of Patmos is now available.

And as always, don’t forget to check out Laura’s new sex ed curriculum: Sex Ed for Sane People

It’s “…a sex education curriculum written from an Orthodox perspective, from an author with a bachelor's degree in biology. Written for high school students on the cusp of adulthood, with the prerequisite of high school biology, this course introduces concepts in anatomy and physiology, embryology, theology, and ethics. This material is framed and presented as an expression of religious freedom.”

Welcome to The Diner!

It’s season two and you won’t want to miss out. Come sit at the counter of our virtual diner and let us serve you a slice of mental pie! It’ll go good with a cup of coffee, then you get your refreshed self back to the fray with a few new beautiful thoughts to think.

Today we are talking more about shame, along with shyness and boldness and the hard sayings that go along with both of these types of healthy shame. Join in the conversation and share your thoughts!

And don’t forget to check out Laura’s new sex ed curriculum: Sex Ed for Sane People

It’s “…a sex education curriculum written from an Orthodox perspective, from an author with a bachelor's degree in biology. Written for high school students on the cusp of adulthood, with the prerequisite of high school biology, this course introduces concepts in anatomy and physiology, embryology, theology, and ethics. This material is framed and presented as an expression of religious freedom.”

Welcome to The Diner!

It’s season two and you won’t want to miss out. Come sit at the counter of our virtual diner and let us serve you a slice of mental pie! It’ll go good with a cup of coffee, then you get your refreshed self back to the fray with a few new beautiful thoughts to think.

Today we talk about toxic shame and how it differs from healthy shame. We also spend some time thinking about how it relates to envy and the way we perceive our limits.

And don’t forget to check out Laura’s new sex ed curriculum: Sex Ed for Sane People

It’s “…a sex education curriculum written from an Orthodox perspective, from an author with a bachelor's degree in biology. Written for high school students on the cusp of adulthood, with the prerequisite of high school biology, this course introduces concepts in anatomy and physiology, embryology, theology, and ethics. This material is framed and presented as an expression of religious freedom.”

Welcome to The Diner!

It’s season two and you won’t want to miss out. Come sit at the counter of our virtual diner and let us serve you a slice of mental pie! It’ll go good with a cup of coffee, then you get your refreshed self back to the fray with a few new beautiful thoughts to think.

Today’s episode starts exploring shame and its relation to unknowing ourselves as well as to chaste, yet ardent, eros. When we unknow ourselves we peel back the walls of protective persona we have built up around ourselves in order to feel safe in the world, and we begin to see, not only who we really are, but who He is, and to ignite our longing for Him over all else.

And don’t forget to check out Laura’s new sex ed curriculum: Sex Ed for Sane People

It’s “…a sex education curriculum written from an Orthodox perspective, from an author with a bachelor's degree in biology. Written for high school students on the cusp of adulthood, with the prerequisite of high school biology, this course introduces concepts in anatomy and physiology, embryology, theology, and ethics. This material is framed and presented as an expression of religious freedom.”