Author Archives: John Swinburn

Here I am, on Galveston Island, Texas. Passenger seaport. Host to one of the most powerful hurricanes. Ever. But I am in the calm of the storm. With enough money, anyplace can be tolerable. Here, a person could get by … Continue reading →

Time speeds by every morning. Between the time I wake up and the time I sit down at the keyboard to think with my fingers, half an hour has disappeared into the mist of history. How can it take half … Continue reading →

We must continue to repeat asking the unanswerable questions; not simply because we may one day have answers, but because questions without answers challenge us to think abstract thoughts. Most questions, I believe, were once unanswerable. Science and physics and … Continue reading →

The air in Galveston, Texas is twenty-five degrees warmer this morning than the air in Hot Springs Village. While, in Galveston, the temperature is a brisk 57°F, it is barely freezing in HSV, just touching 32°F. Daytime highs on the … Continue reading →

I haven’t mentioned that my IC and I suddenly and with little provocation decided to buy another house in the Village. Yes, that’s right. We made an offer on a house deep, deep in the forest. The offer was accepted. … Continue reading →

My toenails were getting dangerously long; turning my toes into sharp, weapon-like appendages that could slice sheets and carve flesh. I should have cut them myself, but I felt a strong desire to get a pedicure. There’s something about a … Continue reading →

One’s circumstances can change, dramatically, in a matter of hours. One moment, the Earth seems intent on following its accustomed path around the sun; the next minute, it veers sharply off course, as if undecided about which star’s guidance is … Continue reading →

Today is my late sister’s birthday, a day I’ll always cherish as a moment to remember all that was good about her. When she died on February 19, 2010, the world lost a beautiful soul, someone who modeled real-world decency … Continue reading →

This morning, when I could find nothing in my head to write about, I decided to look back a year to see what was on my mind then. A year ago. Of course I remember, now, what was on my … Continue reading →

A couple of specific colors of paint hold me in their grip this morning. The paints’ appeal began yesterday, when I skimmed bathroom designs online. One of the paints, Wayfair’s Cashmere Gray, made an especially well-suited match for a bathroom … Continue reading →

The headlines from Aljazeera differ radically from those found on domestic news sites: “In Lebanon, petrol is now priced out of reach.” “A military coup shakes up Sudan.” “Sudanese gear up for nationwide protests against military coup.” “UN renews peacekeeping … Continue reading →

Several years ago—it must have been at least ten or twelve years ago—my late wife and I flew to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where we rented a car and embarked on an exploration of the wonders of the Land of Enchantment. … Continue reading →

I don’t think I ever got to sleep last night. All night, I felt like I could not breathe; could not catch my breath. Obviously, I got enough oxygen to keep me alive, but I felt like every breath was … Continue reading →

We drove to Danville, AR yesterday, where we met friends for lunch at a tiny Lao/Laotian restaurant called Vientiane Cafe. Our friends had suggested we meet “halfway” between their home and ours, in one of three towns: Russellville, Booneville, or … Continue reading →

The clock tells me it’s not yet 4:30 a.m., almost an hour after I finally gave up in my fight to breathe and sleep at the same time. Now, sitting upright, I can breathe through my nose again. An hour … Continue reading →

After yesterday’s almost summer-like temperatures, today’s high is forecast to reach only 73°F. The forecast calls for virtually no chance of rain. A light breeze should make the moderate temperatures feel cooler, by a degree or two, than the “real … Continue reading →

It doesn’t pay to get up at 4 in the morning, though it’s one of my favorite times of day. This morning, I awoke to the sound of whistling wind and loud wind-chimes, noises that triggered all manner of thoughts … Continue reading →

Reinventing oneself is not only possible, it is necessary. Reclaiming the fresh components of one’s ability to contribute to the world around us—those intellectual structures that led to the earliest evidence of our uniqueness—is vital. Reinvention need not involve trips … Continue reading →

Here it is, the day after my birthday. As always, I feel a little let down by it, as is always the case. They do not merit the anticipation they sew in the weeks and days leading up to them. … Continue reading →

Yesterday was too complex, too convoluted, too laced with stress and unexpected sharp left turns into the unknown to be a good day. But it had its moments. I do not condemn yesterday for its flaws. I appreciate the day … Continue reading →

Yesterday, my IC and I went for a walk by one of the area lakes. The clear blue sky and the crisp morning temperatures were the lures that got us lakeside. We weren’t the only ones on the level trail, … Continue reading →

The last several days have been strange, to say the least. After spending most of the day last Thursday waiting for the procedure to remove a kidney stone, I seemed to have plunged into a labyrinthine cage of delirium. Though … Continue reading →

The visit to the urologist to remove a kidney stone was not the quick and easy process I expected. An anticipated quick trip that would last no more than two hours turned into an all-day affair, beginning around 10:15 and … Continue reading →

The lyrics to a Loudon Wainwright song, Missing You, keep playing in my head. The first verse, and all that follow, tug at me, hard: He don’t stay out anymore No more coming in past four Most nights he turns … Continue reading →

On a few occasions in the recent past, I’ve noticed something moderately disturbing when I take aim at the toilet bowl and let loose with a stream of pee. Instead of witnessing the normal light yellow liquid depart my body … Continue reading →