Author Archives: John Swinburn

About John Swinburn

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

Incompatible with Life

Posted on July 19, 2019 by John Swinburn

Thinking deeply about matters thought cannot change constitutes either wasted energy or vital mental exercise or both. Yet even the assertion that thought cannot bring about change induces change. The contention that any thought is wasted spurs the mind to … Continue reading →

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Another Birthday

Posted on July 18, 2019 by John Swinburn

If he were still alive, today would be my father’s 116th birthday. He reached only 81 of those 116 years before he died. “Only” 81 is an odd way of putting it. That’s more than a respectable age, though he … Continue reading →

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A Virtuous Exploration

Posted on July 18, 2019 by John Swinburn

I went to bed very early last night, around 9:00 p.m. I fell asleep almost immediately and slept soundly until around 1:00 a.m. Sleep came in fits and starts for the rest of the night; fifteen minutes here, ten minutes … Continue reading →

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A Happier Place

Posted on July 17, 2019 by John Swinburn

Gourmand: 1) person who is fond of good eating, often indiscriminatingly and to excess (dictionary.com); 2) a person who enjoys eating and drinking in large amounts (collinsdictionary.com); 3) one who is excessively fond of eating and drinking (merriam-webster.com). I plead … Continue reading →

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Sesquipedalian

Posted on July 17, 2019 by John Swinburn

Sesquipedalian; 1) given to using long words; 2) containing many syllables. I first encountered the word nine years ago on Facebook. Really. The word was included in a post on the Smith College Facebook page. Ah! That explains it. I … Continue reading →

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Shame

Posted on July 16, 2019 by John Swinburn

I don’t know when I last felt so utterly hopeless. Tonight, I feel like I can do nothing to salvage the world. I can do nothing to prevent humanity’s slide into chaotic oblivion, punctuated by race wars and class wars … Continue reading →

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The Effects of Attention Deficit Bureaucracy on Linguistic Inquiry

Posted on July 15, 2019 by John Swinburn

This morning, for breakfast, we had toasted thin bagels topped with cream cheese, purple onion, capers, and smoked salmon. I had mine open-faced;  as in an open-faced sandwich. While I was eating my breakfast, I wondered aloud where the term … Continue reading →

Posted in Government, Language | Leave a comment

State of Flux

Posted on July 14, 2019 by John Swinburn

You know who I was, not who I am. I am in a state of flux, a man engaged in constant mutation from one form to another. Every breath I take in leaves a different person’s mouth. The change takes … Continue reading →

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Learning from the Canadians

Posted on July 13, 2019 by John Swinburn

The concept seems solid: “If you think about the composition of meat, it’s actually five things,” Ethan Brown says: “Amino acids, lipids, trace minerals, vitamins and water. All of that is available to us outside the animal. What animals do … Continue reading →

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Hope

Posted on July 12, 2019 by John Swinburn

We went to another World Tour of Wine dinner last night. The wines and menu were, so they said, Chilean. I can vouch for the wines, inasmuch as I saw the labels on the bottles and tasted their contents. I … Continue reading →

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Philosophy Degenerates into Dark Madness

Posted on July 11, 2019 by John Swinburn

Reality depends on one’s perspective. Summer runs from June through August for me. But for someone in Australia, summer starts is December through February. Both are real, but my reality’s context is sharply different from an Australian’s. The physical differences … Continue reading →

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Happier Thoughts

Posted on July 9, 2019 by John Swinburn

People in Western culture, I think (and I’m not alone), don’t really believe they’re going to die one day. They comprehend it on an intellectual level, but the end of existence is not a reality with which we can engage … Continue reading →

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My Father was a Carnivorous Xylopolist: A Rambling Recollection

Posted on July 8, 2019 by John Swinburn

Yes, my father was a xylopolist. I did not know that until just a short while ago. Somehow, some way, I stumbled across the word online. I didn’t recognize it, so I looked it up. It wasn’t in the free … Continue reading →

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Traverse City and Such

Posted on July 7, 2019 by John Swinburn

Some friends are spending a couple of weeks in Michigan on a house-sitting assignment. They are taking advantage of their time their to visit Saugatuck, Traverse City, and a flock of other cities and towns on and around Lake Michigan. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments

Conversation with Myself

Posted on July 5, 2019 by John Swinburn

The U.S. Department of Agriculture first printed its “Special Report on Diseases of the Horse” in 1890. It was reprinted in 1896 and later revised and reprinted in 1903, 1908, 1911, and finally in 1916. The 1916 edition, and possibly … Continue reading →

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Language Crimes

Posted on July 4, 2019 by John Swinburn

Go ahead, call me a Grammar Nazi. But, actually, t’s not grammar. It’s vocabulary. Here’s a heading for a story I read recently on CNN.com: “Man breaks in to rob a Florida Wendy’s but stops to make himself dinner first.” … Continue reading →

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An Unhappy Place in My Head

Posted on July 3, 2019 by John Swinburn

Yesterday, I finally began the slow, arduous task of painting the deck. Even though I haven’t yet found someone to complete the replacement of deck boards, I decided paint needed to go on the scraped and sanded boards. Only one … Continue reading →

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Strangely Canadian

Posted on July 2, 2019 by John Swinburn

“Canada is the largest exporter and the second largest producer of mustard seed in the world, accounting for 75-80 per cent of all mustard exports worldwide, according to the Canadian Special Crops Association.” So says HUFFPOST Canada. I have no … Continue reading →

Posted in Absurdist Fantasy | 3 Comments

Opinionated About Men and Women

Posted on July 1, 2019 by John Swinburn

Why is it that women, in general, are more interesting than men, in general? Why is it that women tend to be unafraid of being silly and emotional, whereas men tend to avoid being silly for fear of looking silly? … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Ćevapčići

Posted on June 30, 2019 by John Swinburn

Last night’s dinner consisted of ćevapčići (pronounced, as best as I can determine, “chevopcheche”), sliced purple onion, and sliced tomatoes. I made the ćevapčići from a pound of 80/20 ground beef, one-third of a cup of lukewarm water, and a … Continue reading →

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A Northern Thai Birthday Celebration

Posted on June 29, 2019 by John Swinburn

Yesterday was my wife’s birthday, so we went out to dinner last night in celebration. She had mentioned to me after we had lunch at the place, kBird, a couple of months ago that she would like to return for … Continue reading →

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Debatable

Posted on June 28, 2019 by John Swinburn

I wonder how quickly the field of Democratic presidential hopefuls will shrink to a manageable number? As in, fewer than five. And, then, just two or three. With one standout among them. I watched most of the first two Democratic … Continue reading →

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Chiggers Are Evil

Posted on June 27, 2019 by John Swinburn

After the fact, I berate myself for having failed to soak my feet, ankles, and legs with Deep Woods Off. I curse the laziness responsible for the absence of insect repellent around my belt line. And I express displeasure at … Continue reading →

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Indistinguishable Facts and Fictions

Posted on June 26, 2019 by John Swinburn

The horizon, what little I can see of it against the black outline of tree trunks and leaves, is salmon pink. Or coral. Oh, I don’t know; the color is hard to describe and hard to look away from. It’s … Continue reading →

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Brittle Memories

Posted on June 25, 2019 by John Swinburn

It hasn’t been long since I finished my chemo and radiation treatments, but apparently I’ve tried to erase the experiences from memory. I say that because I returned to my radiologist’s office for a follow-up this afternoon and all the … Continue reading →

Posted in Cancer, Emotion, Health | Leave a comment