Author Archives: John Swinburn

Once again, my oncologist decided against administering chemo treatment, based in part on a low blood pressure measurement and my ongoing and worsening congestion. She prescribed an antibiotic and steroids and said she agreed with our plan to go to … Continue reading →

This morning, mild curiosity prompted me to read the New York Times (NYT)’ obituary for Éliane Radigue, who died on Monday in Paris. That mild curiosity grew from a casual scan of online introductory headline “briefs” about news the NYT … Continue reading →

There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is… ~ Albert Einstein ~ The lyrics in a song by Peter Mayer, Holy Now, seem to echo … Continue reading →

Yesterday, while Watching videos recorded earlier in the day of Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) arsonists setting fire to vehicles and gas stations, my loathing of the crimes committed by narco-terrorists spiked. In one video, armed men first dragged people … Continue reading →

Wind, as defined by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a component of the U.S. Department of Commerce, “is simply air in motion.” That definition is presented in an online  article entitled ‘Origin of Wind.’ Other ‘official’ declarations … Continue reading →

I woke to the sound a cat makes when it is about to sink its teeth and its claws into flesh. My reaction to that noise was a growl or a scream or some other audible expression of fear. That … Continue reading →

I picked up a new pair of eyeglasses yesterday. The frames and lenses are new; the age of the face and its accompanying tired eyes contrast sharply with  the spectacles. The look on my face is…what? Is it one of … Continue reading →

The beige interior walls of the house my late wife and I bought about twelve years ago, when we moved to Hot Springs Village, were not offensive. But they were not especially appealing, either. So, a few years after we … Continue reading →

My agenda for a week from tomorrow includes a PET-scan. A follow-up visit with my oncologist, six days later, will clarify the implications of the PET-scan results. Worrying about the possible results has no value, of course, so I will … Continue reading →

On February 14, Valentine’s Day, my post here mentioned a shameful eruption of my once-common volcanic anger. My animosity was directed toward someone who did not deserve such fury. Yesterday, I attempted to right the wrong. I drove to his … Continue reading →

Look up, there, at the highest branch of the nearest, tallest pine tree. See the needles at the end of that branch? Those needles are composed of a collection of molecules that, if traced back in time tens of thousands … Continue reading →

“I saw it with my own eyes!” That proclamation used to serve as reliable confirmation that something a person had seen was real. But that was before the eyes were so easily deceived. That was before anyone with a computer … Continue reading →

The “top photos of the week by AP photojournalists” give rise to emotions ranging from sorrow to compassion to rage to appreciation to awe. When I right-click to open an image in a new tab, then enlarge the resulting photo, … Continue reading →

The tragedy of the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C. has already been adopted by some right-wing fanatics as evidence that “transgender people commit a disproportionate share of crimes.” The shooter has been reported to be transgender. Rather than acknowledging … Continue reading →

An online article in Wikipedia says the population of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia peaked at approximately 4,800 in 1991, ten years after the planned community’s housing and infrastructure were built. Thirty years later, in 2021, its population had recovered to … Continue reading →

Comments—pro or con—about my posts are rarely left on my blog. Yesterday, a blog visitor left one of those rare comments; one decidedly non-complimentary, reacting to my my perspective on Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime performance: Omg did you even … Continue reading →

I read an item on Facebook this morning, reposted by an acquaintance, that presented an interesting snapshot summary about one of the recipients (Esther Duflo) of the 2019 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences (Nobel Prize in Economics). The article was … Continue reading →

When suspicion approaches certainty, context matters more than confidence. Concerns transform into worries, fear becomes terror. Desire leads to disappointment. The key to survival is adaptation;  adjusting to conform to what the circumstances require. But an overabundance of available approaches … Continue reading →

Several years ago, after learning just enough HyperText Markup Language (HTML) to write a bit of basic HTML code, I created what I call my internet “Resource Center” page, which was (and remains) my desktop starting point for opening a … Continue reading →

Thinking deeply about divisive issues—matters that tend to split groups of people into camps with conflicting philosophies—often is a multi-step process for me. The first step generally leads me to a firm conclusion, placing me in accord with one of … Continue reading →

Yesterday, I interrupted the mundane existence of simple survival. In its place, I briefly explored the journey of life through thought. I left my survival to carry on for awhile without me. My travels, as I walked away from my … Continue reading →

“The time will come…” “Time stands still…” No, the time will not come, nor does time stand still. Time is neither mobile nor stationary. Yet the language we use in discussing time suggests we consider time an entity, rather than … Continue reading →

Strength. Light. Power. Distance. Time. Pain. Temperature. Intelligence. Depth. Illumination. Area. Circumference. Likelihood. Poverty. Wealth. We have measures for almost everything. Some of those measures collide with one another or compete for dominance…like distance and circumference…and power and strength. Their … Continue reading →

Volcanic eruptions—spewing super-heated smoke and viscous molten rock from the bowels of Earth—may illustrate  our planet’s unchecked rage. Cold water springs from which potable water bubbles from below might offer a more serene, forgiving attitude, as if to counter the … Continue reading →

In this AP Photo by Manu Fernandez, a man rides a horse through a bonfire as part of a ritual in honor of Saint Anthony the Abbot, the patron saint of domestic animals, in San Bartolome de Pinares, Spain, Friday, … Continue reading →