Author Archives: John Swinburn

I do not know when season three of Broadchurch became available on Netflix; I know only that I stumbled upon it several days ago. The series is one of a few British television series I find absolutely riveting. When I … Continue reading →

I had hoped that avoiding the topic of food in my blog posts would translate into weight loss. All right, I hadn’t actually thought about it quite that way. But in hindsight, it seems like there might have been a … Continue reading →

Lightning is the visual expression of thunder. Thunder is the sonic expression of lightning. While those two statements may seem either absurd or obvious (or contradictory…or not), I think they merit contemplation. If nothing else, they force a shift in … Continue reading →

When does empathy turn into a target, a bull’s-eye painted on one’s compassion that guides seekers of pity to unearned sources of tenderness and sympathy? It happens almost without the compassionate victim realizing the game is being played. By the … Continue reading →

I have nothing to say. Sure, if I were more intelligent and better looking, I might have thoughts to share. But, absent even a hint of brilliance or a glancing blow of handsomeness, my words are valueless. They don’t even … Continue reading →

My wife made a very tasty chili yesterday, a conglomeration of hamburger meat and bacon, a spectrum of spices, pinto beans, and who know what else. We had it for dinner last night. While it wasn’t especially hot-spicy, it alerted … Continue reading →

U.S. culture treats advanced age as a terminal illness and it treats those consumed by the “illness” as disposable. The quicker the better. Mexican culture, from what I understand, has a different perspective. Age equates to experience which, in turn, … Continue reading →

If I mailed a letter to the ones who have forgotten me, would they open the envelope? Would they bother to read the words it took me so long to put down on paper? Would the effort I made to … Continue reading →

Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī was a Muslim mathematician and astronomer whose major works introduced Hindu-Arabic numerals and the concepts of algebra into European mathematics. He was appointed astronomer and head of the library of Bagdad’s House of Wisdom around 820 … Continue reading →

When the world seems especially bleak, one can improve one’s mood immeasurably by considering all the horrors to which one has not been exposed. For example, as I sit here at my desk, I am thankful I was not awakened … Continue reading →

I spent the last hour or so revising what I thought was an old narrative prose post into a poem. It was a poem all along, every since I wrote it this summer, but I didn’t realize it. Upon reading … Continue reading →

I opted not to read the flippant piece today; it was a miserable excuse for writing. So, I replaced it with another miserable excuse for writing. At least the replacement was fiction. I’m disappointed in myself. Why can’t I produce … Continue reading →

Since we returned from our trip earlier than originally planned, I can attend our Writers’ Club meeting today, an informal pot luck affair and read-around. I’m told attendance will be very light, which pleases me in that I have very … Continue reading →

I thought it was time to get up, so I got up. That will teach me to think. It was just shy of 4:30. But by the time I realized how early it was, I was beyond going back to … Continue reading →