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Author Archives: John Swinburn
Car Talk
We looked at cars. We drove some. One new one (a 2015 Ford Escape). Mostly a year or two or three old. We did not fall in love. The salesperson was beside herself, but she was able to contain it, … Continue reading
Posted in Cars
6 Comments
One Hundred Fifty-Five
When you wake up in the morning and look into the mirror, give yourself a boost. Smile. Give yourself a nod of acknowledgement and appreciation. Sing, if that’s your thing. Days that start off on a positive note are better … Continue reading
Posted in Ruminations
1 Comment
Revealing What’s Underneath
You may not want to read this. Especially if you’re not on a high note at the moment. Sometimes, I just write stuff that can’t help but ruin a mood. There’s no question, I sometimes write some pretty strange stuff. The scenes … Continue reading
Posted in Depression, Emotion, Just Thinking, Philosophy, Writing
3 Comments
One Hundred Fifty-Four
Certainty is inversely correlated with wisdom and vice versa.
Posted in Ruminations
1 Comment
Face-to-Face Bloggery
Let’s see, now, I’ve met, face-to-face, several people through social media. Teresa. Robin and Roger. Tara. Juan. Kathy. Kathy. Cari. Soon, I’ll meet another, Holly. In spite of my occasional rants about how social media tends to be a vacuum … Continue reading
Posted in Communication, Friendship, Just Thinking, Writing
1 Comment
One Hundred Fifty-Three
Some days, I think I’d have made a pretty damn good singer-songwriter if I could write music and carry a tune.
Posted in Ruminations
1 Comment
Circles
My mind is skipping like a rock on a choppy pond; just one wave sends that stone plunging to the bottom. I’ve been reading, here and there, about topics of interest, but I can’t keep my mind on what I’m reading long … Continue reading
Posted in Writing
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One Hundred Fifty-Two
I begin the sixth month of the year 2015, wondering what Earth will look like two thousand fifteen years from now on June 1, 4030. The global floods of 3099 and 4006 will probably alter its appearance considerably, but the asteroid strike on … Continue reading
Posted in Ruminations
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Regaining the Sparkle
I watched as the headlights on the old Camry dulled over the years. Sand and grit and bugs and road debris stole the shine and ruined the sparkle. I polished the outer plastic shells with modest success a few years ago, … Continue reading
One Hundred Fifty-One
I’ve noticed that the harder a person argues against someone’s strongly held beliefs, the less willing that target of the argument is to accept the premises offered as truth. Oh, my, is there a correlation, or is it just coincidental?
Posted in Ruminations
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Someone Else’s Tastes
Yesterday, I sat at the dining table, looking out at the trees swaying in the breeze and the ranch down below. I was eating lunch, which consisted of a tin of smoked mackerel drizzled with Sriracha sauce and spears of cucumbers. I realized, … Continue reading
Posted in Fiction, Writing
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One Hundred Fifty
A few hours of hard work, scraped knuckles, and dirt under the fingernails can go a long way toward improving one’s disposition.
Posted in Ruminations
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Spiritual Promiscuity
I wrote much of the following for another of my blogs, one I began a few years ago and have since abandoned. I allowed it to languish after just one or two posts and have, until recently, paid little attention to what … Continue reading
Posted in Religion, Secular morality
2 Comments
Death Penalty
For much of my life, I favored the death penalty. It was an opinion informed not by reason, but by rage. I still feel rage at people who are, or were, unquestionably guilty of horrific acts, but my sense now … Continue reading
Posted in Just Thinking, Philosophy
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One Hundred Forty-Nine
It is time, now, to sit back and reflect on life and to ponder where this one, the only one I have, will lead me in the days and months to come.
Posted in Ruminations
5 Comments
Different Dialects
Yesterday, a group of people gathered at my house to talk about writing short stories and subjects related to the craft. It was the second such meeting we’ve had to discuss the inspirations for and emotions and mechanics of writing … Continue reading
Posted in Just Thinking
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One Hundred Forty-Eight
Generosity need not require the ability to give, only the desire. Where there is a will, there is a way.
Posted in Ruminations
1 Comment
Bourbon and Onions
Can you imagine for even a moment that you are the victim of an angry, drunken policeman? No? Try again. Try again to imagine the policeman repeatedly slamming his club into your jaw, laughing with each stroke, and asking you a question: “You sure … Continue reading
Posted in Writing
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One Hundred Forty-Seven
Nothing revolves around us, not the earth. Not the planets. Certainly not the sun. We, on the other hand, revolve around everything and everyone important in our lives. You can’t let that go; you just can’t. Love won’t permit it. … Continue reading
Posted in Ruminations
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Missing in Flight
So, my latest idea for a short story involves a mystery surrounding a child’s travel from his father’s home in Chicago to his mother’s home in Los Angeles. The kid boards the plane in Chicago and sends a text to … Continue reading
Posted in Writing
2 Comments
One Hundred Forty-Six
High winds and heavy rain from Sunday afternoon’s storms left twigs and broken branches on the ground. Last night, the shrieking furies returned, their anger stronger than before, intent on howling their way through the forest and shredding the sky with … Continue reading
Posted in Ruminations
1 Comment
Fragments or Figments
They seem to be fragments. Tiny pieces that seem, initially, to have no relation to one another. But, given the right triggers, slivers of recollection from years ago combine to become coherent memories. Finally, after years languishing deep in the recesses … Continue reading
Posted in Memoir, Memories
2 Comments
One Hundred Forty-Five
I read an article the other day by a veteran who said he cringed when he heard people say “Happy Memorial Day!” I understood; Memorial Day is dedicated to the men and women who lost their lives in defense of … Continue reading
Posted in Ruminations
3 Comments
Singed
I’ve spent more than an hour and a half this morning, trying to write. When I first sat down to write, I zipped off my rumination for the day, “things worth remembering are worth writing.” Thereafter, though, nothing flowed from … Continue reading
Posted in Writing
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One Hundred Forty-Four
Things worth remembering are worth writing.
Posted in Ruminations
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