Author Archives: John Swinburn

About John Swinburn

"Love not what you are but what you may become."― Miguel de Cervantes

Throwing Eight-Balls at Apartment Walls

Posted on May 10, 2020 by John Swinburn

One of the synonyms for ‘dream’ is ‘vision.’ A bad dream is a nightmare. As people get older, they complain of a loss of night vision. But is ‘nightmare’ actually a euphemism for a decline in visual acuity in low … Continue reading →

Posted in Anger, Dreams | Leave a comment

Acceptable Ambivalence

Posted on May 9, 2020 by John Swinburn

The first Icelandic Netflix series, Katla (a sci-fi series) will begin shooting soon in Vík í Mýrdal, Iceland. Part of the town has already been covered in volcanic ash in preparation for filming. Þorbjörg Gísladóttir, the director of the local … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Scandinavian, Television, Television series | 2 Comments

Excited Utterances

Posted on May 8, 2020 by John Swinburn

Twice before 4:30 a.m., screaming alerts from the NOAA weather radio jolted me awake. Though the warnings did not apply specifically to Hot Springs Village, they applied to sections of Garland County. The radio’s settings, I gather, call for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Fetching Tomatoes

Posted on May 7, 2020 by John Swinburn

Slices of green tomatoes dredged in cornmeal and fried in bacon grease. They are slightly tart and incredibly addictive. I believe I could eat two or three pounds by myself; of course, I would later pay the price for such … Continue reading →

Posted in Food | Leave a comment

Wild Turkey & the Future

Posted on May 6, 2020 by John Swinburn

A few nights ago, I poured myself an ounce or two of Wild Turkey 101 Kentucky Bourbon, over ice, which might represent an appalling affront to the arrogancenti who claim to be bourbon purists. Screw them. They stumble over simple … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments

The Way Forward

Posted on May 6, 2020 by John Swinburn

I wrote just yesterday that I recognized the need to steer clear of social media and engagements that trigger my unpleasant reactions to deeply offensive humans. But part of my day yesterday was devoted to fruitless efforts to educate the … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy | Leave a comment

Disparate Tales, Disparate Telling

Posted on May 5, 2020 by John Swinburn

It is possible to recover from job loss. It is not possible to recover from death. Chaotic economic calamities can be overcome; not so, death. Hundreds of thousands of people out of work and in dire financial straits is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Farmers’ Rebellion

Posted on May 4, 2020 by John Swinburn

Kenneth “Hurricane” Whackman was confirmed as Secretary of Weather only three weeks after Charlene Floore was sworn in as the fifty-eighth president of the United States. Two days later, Tyson “Popeye” Monsanto was confirmed as Secretary of Agribusiness, the position … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Writing | Leave a comment

Free-Fall

Posted on May 3, 2020 by John Swinburn

Years and years ago, sometime between 1985 and 1990, high in the skies over Wisconsin, I climbed out on the wing of a twin-engine airplane and, when the skydiver to whom I was tightly strapped gave the command, pushed myself … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

The Colors of Leaves, Pancakes, Social Engineering, Solitude, and More

Posted on May 2, 2020 by John Swinburn

Staying home during the pandemic is not terribly difficult for me. Though I have not confined myself to the house, I rarely venture out, at least not like I used to. Solitude is perfectly natural for me. Sure, I miss … Continue reading →

Posted in Stream of Consciousness | 3 Comments

Nothing

Posted on May 1, 2020 by John Swinburn

I’ve been up for more than an  hour. I spent much of that hour writing something I will never post. In fact, I suspect I will delete the file. It will do no one any good to read what I … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Better to Know than Not

Posted on April 30, 2020 by John Swinburn

I just returned from I expected to be a routine follow-up visit to my oncologist. Instead, I learned that my CT scan from earlier in the week showed some troubling changes. Nothing major, necessarily, but of sufficient concern that my … Continue reading →

Posted in Cancer, Covid-19, Fear | 7 Comments

Life After Life, An Untold Story

Posted on April 29, 2020 by John Swinburn

An unfortunate fact about life is that it does not go on forever. Rather, life does not go on long enough for some of us to learn the ultimate outcome of intriguing circumstances swirling around us. Take the novel coronavirus, … Continue reading →

Posted in Covid-19, Demographics, Economics | Leave a comment

Masked Man at the Market and More

Posted on April 28, 2020 by John Swinburn

This morning began with a few sips of coffee and a quick view of online news before I jumped in the car and headed to the grocery store for the “senior hour.” But I got my wires crossed. I thought … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Attractive Definitions

Posted on April 27, 2020 by John Swinburn

A dictionary’s second definition of metaphysics is the one that pleases me most: Philosophy, especially in its more abstruse branches. The corresponding definition of the primary adjectival form, metaphysical, pleases me just as much: Concerned with abstract thought or subjects, as … Continue reading →

Posted in Mathematics, Philosophy, Physics, Time | Leave a comment

Musical Provocation

Posted on April 26, 2020 by John Swinburn

I listened to a mariachi version of Laura’s Theme from Doctor Zhivago yesterday afternoon, thanks to an email message Gustavo Arellano sent to his followers. Arellano is best known for his “Ask a Mexican” syndicated column that originated with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Emotion, Music | Leave a comment

Self-Care in Isolation

Posted on April 25, 2020 by John Swinburn

I had to search a while for the source of the list that prompted the modified version below.  A friend posted it on her Facebook feed; it took me some time even to find that post. Then, it was not … Continue reading →

Posted in Covid-19, Philosophy | Leave a comment

Hiding Behind Masks

Posted on April 25, 2020 by John Swinburn

Who are we, people who leave our homes with naked faces but who, before we interact with others, cover up with masks? Are we hiding our personalities behind those masks? Are we secretly glad to conceal our identities from strangers? … Continue reading →

Posted in Covid-19 | Leave a comment

Elvin’s Exorcism

Posted on April 24, 2020 by John Swinburn

I’ll try something different today. Instead of attempting without success to craft a wannabe witty stream-of-consciousness screed, I’ll explain myself. My name is Elvin and I live inside a body that is not my own. I use it because it … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Leave a comment

Trusting Strangers II

Posted on April 23, 2020 by John Swinburn

I failed to finish my last post. That oversight was caused by a combination of memory lapse and the fact that I had to drive to Little Rock to return a courtesy car and pick up the Outback. Nine-hundred-forty-two dollars … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Trusting Strangers

Posted on April 23, 2020 by John Swinburn

Hitchhiking had developed an ugly reputation by the time I was in college. Both drivers and prospective hitchhikers were warned, by that time, of the dangers of allowing strangers into one’s car or entering the cars of strangers. Bad things—robbery, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments

Fat Chance

Posted on April 22, 2020 by John Swinburn

I drove our Subaru Outback to Little Rock yesterday. I drove a Subaru Ascent home. The service department told me the work on my car (65K maintenance, exhaust system recall notice work, and four new tires) would take all day, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Testosterone Poisoning

Posted on April 21, 2020 by John Swinburn

A friend, when describing the affliction whose symptoms are characterized by machismo, also known as extreme masculine hyper-sensitivity, uses the sobriquet “testosterone poisoning.” I think the term describes the infirmity quite nicely. Until I heard the phrase, I did not … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy | Leave a comment

Exhuming Memories

Posted on April 20, 2020 by John Swinburn

This morning, my creativity is at a low ebb. Instead of attempting to write something that would surely be hollow and dark, I’ll remember mornings when I felt more energy and more passion than I do at this moment by … Continue reading →

Posted in Memories | Leave a comment

Big Dreams and Facing Facts

Posted on April 19, 2020 by John Swinburn

Facts often block the way for wishes, desires, and dreams. Facts dig wide trenches between here and there…between now and then…filling the channels with acid and alligators and creatures hungry to tear hopes into lifeless memories. Those damn facts! Why … Continue reading →

Posted in Ideas, Justice, Philosophy | Leave a comment