Currently reading:

The Penguin Book of contemporary New Zealand short stories, and Alain de Botton’s The Consolations of Philosophy.  It discusses famous philosophical thoughts in relation to modern concerns. The chapter I’m reading at the moment applies Epicurean ideas to the issue of “not having enough money.”  Epicurus believed we need only friends, freedom, and thought to be happy, and encouraged the pursuit of pleasure in these things rather than gaining material wealth. Nice idea, but for a shopping addict like me, perhaps a little difficult to put into practice. Maybe I can shop with friends?