In an entry on translators, iggy in Blogalization links to a profile of Bill Porter in the Fort Wayne News Sentinel. Porter dropped out of college and spent 20 years in Taiwan as a virtual hermit.

My reaction to the piece hovers between wanting to simplify the way I live and wondering whether to believe the slight air of bullshit.

bq. Who says monks can’t be Mariners fans?

bq. “He’s a completely refreshing soul,” said Porter’s friend, the writer and fellow Buddhist Gretel Ehrlich, who lives on the Northern California coast.

bq. When it’s cold, Porter will don his knit, black monk’s cap, a reminder of his Buddhist roots. His daily routine starts with an hour of meditation but ends with an episode of “The Simpsons.”

bq. In between, Porter usually takes walks along the beach, soaks in a hot bath, naps, relaxes with some tea and cooks dinner for his two kids, William, 21, and Iris, 17. His wife spends much of her time with family in Taiwan.