Monthly Archives: April 2013

Sad Sleeper

Posted on April 30, 2013 by John Swinburn

Not me, the sleeper sofa.  It’s been on Craigslist for well over a month, its price dropping precipitously week by week, only to be generally ignored.  There have been a few emails, more than half from inept scammers who are … Continue reading →

Posted in Unwanted Furniture | 2 Comments

Kneeblood

Posted on April 29, 2013 by John Swinburn

The following paragraphs arose from my on-again off-again effort to write about a fictional character, James Kneeblood.  I conceived of him a few years ago and have written quite a lot about him, but my writing has never been satisfactory. … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction | Leave a comment

Searching, Searching

Posted on April 28, 2013 by John Swinburn

“Kathy, I’m lost, I’m empty and aching and I don’t know why.”  Paul Simon wrote the anthem of young idealists exploring their world, looking for meaning, for fulfillment, for …something.  Many others have written of the awkward search by the … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Wisdom | 4 Comments

Road Trip in a Mercedes Benz Convertible

Posted on April 27, 2013 by John Swinburn

My wife keeps frighteningly meticulous records.  I, on the other hand, assume I will remember things.  I don’t.  Not unless reminded. Today, she reminded me of the trip I made to Florida back in 2007.  She pulled out credit card … Continue reading →

Posted in Cars, Family, Memories, Travel | Leave a comment

Hidden

Posted on April 26, 2013 by John Swinburn

You cannot think through my  mind, nor can I think through yours.  This is a terrible dilemma.  Not so much the fact that I can’t think through your mind, but that you can’t think through mine. If only you could, … Continue reading →

Posted in Dreams, Philosophy, Wisdom | 1 Comment

Well, Tread Lightly, Then…

Posted on April 26, 2013 by John Swinburn

A few days ago, I wrote about my concerns with the police searches in Watertown, MA in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing.  I remain concerned with attitudes that allow U.S. Senators to call for a United States citizen … Continue reading →

Posted in Government, Legal Rights | Leave a comment

Too Terrible to Consider

Posted on April 25, 2013 by John Swinburn

Almost no one dared think it, for it was too terrible to consider.  But Galen Cameron thought it.  And he spent the better part of ten years delving into it. Not that finding the answer mattered one whit, because if … Continue reading →

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Changing Places

Posted on April 25, 2013 by John Swinburn

I wonder how much truth there is in Emerson’s words: “Traveling is a fool’s paradise. Our first journeys discover to us the indifference of places. At home I dream that at Naples, at Rome, I can be intoxicated with beauty, … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Travel, Wisdom | Leave a comment

Don’t Tread on Me

Posted on April 21, 2013 by John Swinburn

Maybe I’ve allowed paranoia to set in.  Or maybe I’ve just begun to shed my naiveté. The horrendous attacks on the Boston Marathon were devastating.  But the chilling events surrounding the ensuing identification of, and manhunt for, the perpetrators have been … Continue reading →

Posted in Government, Legal Rights | Leave a comment

Confusion, Perhaps

Posted on April 20, 2013 by John Swinburn

It begins as a whisper, faint and indistinct.  But it grows incrementally, almost imperceptibly, louder with the passage of time.  The amount of time varies with each whisper and every ear.  Eventually, though, the whisper becomes a voice and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy | Leave a comment

The Core of the Problem Could be the Processor

Posted on April 18, 2013 by John Swinburn

When I created this site, I had grand visions that it might become a place of “big ideas.”  I envisioned earnest conversations and civil debates leading to secular epiphanies and a deeper appreciation of this universe.  Sadly, those things require … Continue reading →

Posted in Wisdom | Leave a comment

Treatment Deferred

Posted on April 17, 2013 by John Swinburn

Maybe, if I were smart, I’d go see a doctor.  Well, smart isn’t it, really.  If I were rich, or had health insurance, I’d go see a doctor.  But neither describes me, so I won’t, at least for now. Just … Continue reading →

Posted in Health | Leave a comment

Comfortable Clothes

Posted on April 15, 2013 by John Swinburn

For years, I’ve been intrigued by some of the clothing worn by men in India, Afghanistan, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc.  My intrigue is based, primarily, on my belief that some of the clothing worn by men in those countries is … Continue reading →

Posted in Fashion | 4 Comments

What “Drives” A Person to Live Out of a Vehicle?

Posted on April 14, 2013 by John Swinburn

As I started exploring what “life on the road” might be like, I came across a fascinating blog, http://cheaprvlivingblog.com/.  The blog and its associated forums, as well as other blogs linked to them, are loaded with tips for living on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Travel | Leave a comment

Cognitive Development Conspiracy Theory

Posted on April 13, 2013 by John Swinburn

I have vague memories, from my college years, of reading about and discussing the role of language in cognitive development, and vice versa.  Somewhere, deep in the recesses of my mind, I harbor memories of Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive … Continue reading →

Posted in Language, Lies/disinformation, Philosophy | Leave a comment

Above all, they are poets

Posted on April 12, 2013 by John Swinburn

Even in coarse popular media I sometimes encounter beautiful gems of language, words and phrases so beautiful as to bring tears to my eyes.  Most recently, I encountered such a stunning surprise while I was watching the BBC spy thriller … Continue reading →

Posted in Television | 1 Comment

Change…Big Change

Posted on April 12, 2013 by John Swinburn

If it seems like I bounce around in many different directions, it’s because I do.  One day, I might be ready to buy land and a tractor, the next day I come to the conclusion that it’s impractical or unaffordable. … Continue reading →

Posted in Change, Travel | 7 Comments

Serious Questions that “Sound” Stupid

Posted on April 11, 2013 by John Swinburn

I’d call it being blind-sided. Something happens, some idea enters your head, some “data” is presented to you…something that brings about confusion and doubt. Serious doubt. Something that causes you to question almost everything you’ve ever learned. Has it ever … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Philosophy, Television, Wisdom | 2 Comments

Night on the Town

Posted on April 10, 2013 by John Swinburn

Angry clouds, grey chalk and dried blood, churn mercilessly against the setting sun, inciting gentle souls toward a felonious night. Even the street lights are afraid, shuddering and blinking with each shrieking gust of wind and every snarling howl of … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Poetry, Religion | Leave a comment

The Last Jolt of Winter

Posted on April 10, 2013 by John Swinburn

Last night when I went to bed, about 11:00 pm, it was unusually warm…about 78 degrees. That’s not so uncommon for summertime temperatures, but we’re net yet in mid-April, so these beastly hot evening temperatures are neither expected nor appreciated. … Continue reading →

Posted in Weather | Leave a comment

In the ‘Hood

Posted on April 8, 2013 by John Swinburn

Sometimes, you just have odd questions. Sometimes, they get answered. Sometimes, they don’t. Adulthood Falsehood Parenthood Babyhood Livelihood Childhood Knighthood Bachelorhood Likelihood Brotherhood Personhood Priesthood Sisterhood Statehood Sainthood Motherhood Boyhood Girlhood Manhood Womanhood Nationhood Fatherhood Widowhood

Posted in Language | 1 Comment

Spring Winds

Posted on April 4, 2013 by John Swinburn

Spring weather in north Texas tends toward the dramatic.  Last year—on April 3, 2012—a monstrous band of thunderstorms, some spawning tornadoes, ripped through the Dallas/Fort Worth area.  Video of semi-trailers being flung hundreds of feet in the air made national … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Weather | 1 Comment