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Author Archives: John Swinburn
Anarchy
The depth of my enjoyment of the FX network’s Sons of Anarchy series surprised me. The show revolves around a California motorcycle club involved in gun-running, drugs, pornography, and other sorts of illicit activities that have no place in my … Continue reading
Posted in Television series
1 Comment
Creative Pain
Occasionally, while watching a film or reading a book, I wonder whether the people behind the piece are re-telling their own stories and experiences. Or, are they simply creative geniuses who have an exceptional ability to portray emotions I assume … Continue reading
Posted in Art
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Imaginary Friends: Connections
When a child has imaginary friends, the child is considered normal…maybe a bit above normal. When an adult has them, he is considered insane. That’s not right. I mean, consider the novelist or playwright who creates entire casts … Continue reading
Posted in Fiction
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Starting
Regardless of your age, the likelihood is very high that you still have time. Time to do something you have always wanted to do but just haven’t done yet. Time to discover what you really want to do but … Continue reading
Posted in Change, Philosophy
2 Comments
Respect New Year Resolutions
The beginning of a new year is an interesting time. Some people see the new year as just another day. Others view it as symbolic of a new beginning, a fresh start. Some of that latter group establish goals they hope … Continue reading
Posted in Change, Philosophy, Resolutions, Wisdom
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Transition
The end of a calendar year is an artificial ending, but it is an ending, nonetheless. It is a time we choose to mark as a milestone, both an ending and a beginning. The end of a year can be, … Continue reading
Posted in Wisdom
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One Thousand Miles in My Shoes
One thousand miles. To anyone who travels, even moderately, it doesn’t sound like such a great distance. It’s half the distance between Dallas and Seattle. It’s less than the distance between Dallas and Atlanta. It doesn’t take long to make … Continue reading
Early Morning Thoughts
It’s just after 5:00 a.m. After taking my turn at a few rounds of various word games, I ate a very small breakfast of oatmeal left over from a day or two ago, then finished washing last night’s dinner dishes, which … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophy, Wisdom
2 Comments
The Lost Year, Found
This year, 2012, hasn’t turned out quite the way I envisioned. Though I don’t regret spending my time as I have these past twelve months, the year wasn’t what I pictured when it started. I didn’t completely rekindle my entrepreneurial … Continue reading
Posted in Health, Love, Memories, Philosophy
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Art and Language and Ideas: One and the Same
My wife and I went to Fort Worth today with the objectives of: 1) viewing the exhibition at the Kimbell Art Museum entitled, “The Kimbell at 40: An Evolving Masterpiece,” and 2) viewing the exhibition entitled “To See as Artists … Continue reading
Missing Funerals
The car rental had been confirmed and my plans were made, but plans change. I will not drive to Corpus Christi tomorrow to attend the funeral of an old friend on Friday morning. Instead, I will stay in Dallas so … Continue reading
Posted in Death, Friendship, Health
5 Comments
No Man is an Island
This, one of my favorite poems, speaks so eloquently to the ties that bind us all together. It explains, far better than any other words I’ve read or written, the reason (with apologies to Paulo Cohelo) tears are words that … Continue reading
Posted in Death, Poetry
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Blind Robins
I spent time on the phone this afternoon with my sister-in-law’s mother-in-law, a ninety-plus-year old woman. Though her eyesight is failing, her mind remains sharp and her wicked sense of humor is equally capable of slicing through a moment. During … Continue reading
Posted in Food, Memories
3 Comments
Secular Christmas Gifts and Greetings
Christmas Day, 2012. Thus far, eight hours and forty-two minutes in, it has been unremarkable. Santa Claus did not visit overnight, nor did we expect him. My wife and I cast the old man out a few years ago, directing … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophy, Wisdom
2 Comments
The Bonds of Friendship
An old friend, a friend with whom I’ve lost touch over the years, died last Friday. I know nothing of the manner of his death, only that he died. A message about his death, from a friend of a friend … Continue reading
Posted in Death, Friendship, Philosophy
1 Comment
Protected: Photos
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Posted in Art
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Pachelbel’s Canon in D Major
I always come back to this music when I need to feel that the world is beautiful.
Posted in Music
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Escape
Yesterday, a shooting in a Connecticut school claimed the lives of 20 children and 6 adults. I cannot fully process that. I know I never will. I choose not to write any more, at least not today, about how I feel … Continue reading
Posted in Death, Love, Philosophy
1 Comment
Perception
I walk outside and the cold air takes my breath away. The biting wind ignores my sweatshirt and tears at me as I make that horrible transition from warm serenity to frigid chaos. At that instant, when warmth is stripped … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophy, Wisdom
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Practical Jokes
I awoke this morning just after 4:00 a.m. The blanket and comforter that made the bed snug and comfortable when I went to bed had grown heavy and overly-warm. I decided to start the day early. The first thing I … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophy, Wisdom
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When the Time is Right
It has been more than a week since I’ve posted anything here. I have good reasons. But, to avoid giving the mistaken impression that I’m done with this blog, I decided to write this brief note. The message: I will … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophy
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Exercises in Wonder: What If?
Many years ago, sometime in the early 1980s, I think, I was enamored of a film called Overdrawn at the Memory Bank,which starred Raúl Julia in the character of Aram Fingal, a programmer for NoviCorp, a global corporation that shared … Continue reading
Posted in Dreams, Philosophy, Wisdom
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Seasonings
When I awoke this morning—which, at almost 7:00 a.m., was far later than usual—I could tell it was quite chilly outside. Inside the house, it was toasty, quite a bit warmer than usual for the cool Fall mornings we’ve been … Continue reading
Posted in Weather
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Ritualistic Chanting
After spending two very satisfying days with a brother and my niece and her husband, I’m adjusting to my version of normalcy. They were wonderful days, too. I enjoy my family, probably far more than I’ve ever told them. … Continue reading
Posted in Music
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Mood Altering Experiences
I’m sometimes surprised at the extent to which my mood can change, sometimes dramatically, in response to external stimuli. My outlook can plummet toward depression if I read a news article, for example, that reports a beating victim’s cries for … Continue reading
Posted in Communication, Philosophy, Wisdom
3 Comments