About

Purpose of SPJG.com

This site is dedicated primarily to my love for books and my desire to inspire and nourish the love for books in others. It will also serve as a vehicle for sharing various pursuits and ideas I care about. I hope that it will encourage an appreciation for the richness of the human experience.

Origins of "Some people juggle geese"

The phrase "Some people juggle geese" comes from Joss Whedon's defunct sci-fi western TV show Firefly. The line is spoken by the character Wash in the episode called "Our Mrs. Reynolds."

The situation is as follows. Wash has remarked to his wife Zoe that people on other planets have strange customs: in one place he visited, the primary form of recreation was to juggle goslings (baby geese). Later in the episode, a woman steals a shuttle from the space ship he pilots. His wife asks him why the thief would steal the shuttle, rather than the whole ship. He says, "Maybe she likes shuttles." Since this is not much of an explanation, she gives him an exasperated look. Then he says, in his defense, "Some people juggle geese!"

Meaning of "Some people juggle geese"

I've taken this statement to heart. There's a whole philosophy to be extrapolated from it.

What SPJG, as I construe it, is.

It is a celebration of the richness of the human experience. Everybody is passionate about something, be it juggling geese, joyriding in space shuttles, or whatever. Sometimes it takes a bit of perspective to appreciate what it is that other people love. Or to discover an enduring passion of your own. This website will help you understand and appreciate the pursuits that I love.

What SPJG, as I construe it, is not.

It is not a way of saying "It takes all kinds of people to make the world go around." That phrase can be spoken in dismissing something inferior or in eschewing something distasteful. It can be spoken in a tone of complete resignation.

It is not a way of saying "Fact is stranger than fiction." That phrase brings to mind grotesque curiosities such as two-headed cows. Moreover, fiction is often pretty darn strange.

It is not a way of saying "Whatever floats your boat." That phrase, just like the phrase "Anything goes," apathetically implies that every pursuit is equally good. But it is not the case that all pursuits enrich the human experience.