Author Archives: John Swinburn

Daydreams—call them fantasies if you like—keep a person fresh. Those reveries paint pictures in our minds of an environment in which we exercise control of the world around us. They allow us to be bold, daring, adventuresome; without fear of … Continue reading →

Once again, I came across an article on Facebook about cannibal sandwiches. But it wasn’t another article. It was the same article, repackaged for distribution by NPR through Facebook on Saturday, June 22, 2019. Facebook claims the link to the … Continue reading →

I should have known better, but I did it anyway. I came to a stop, put the car in “park,” pressed the emergency flasher button, and got out of the car. I then dragged two large, broken tree limbs blocking … Continue reading →

I don’t have it in me today. I do not have the wherewithal to write about last night’s storms or the film we saw yesterday afternoon or the meal we ate last night. And my philosophical side is torn and … Continue reading →

I read an interesting but painfully true cartoon caption this morning. You don’t want to hear my opinion. You want to hear your opinion coming out of my mouth. Too often, that’s true. And the thirst for affirmation is the … Continue reading →

Yesterday afternoon, our neighbors took us out for a boat ride on Lake Balboa. Their small catamaran party barge accommodates four people quite well and could, I imagine, hold up to eight comfortably. Yesterday, though, it was just the four … Continue reading →

There’s a chill in the air, if one believes 61 degrees can constitute a chill. And I believe it can, when one finds oneself in mid-June in the Bible belt. It’s not an uncomfortable chill, though. It’s the sort of … Continue reading →

The handyman texted me this morning. He had “just” been told by my neighbors that he had committed to work on their driveway on Friday. Unfortunately, that meant he could not come to work on my deck as promised. He … Continue reading →

I spent a large part of the day yesterday deconstructing and then reconstructing the sixteen-foot-long step that leads from the upper level of the back deck to the lower level. I did this because the contractor didn’t pay attention to … Continue reading →

My mood this morning is best described as somber. Witnessing mortality express itself will do that to a person. On the other hand, reality with all its messy attributes tends to expose hopes and dreams as artifice. Mortality puts the … Continue reading →

I grossly underestimated the work involved in developing a coherent compilation of my writing. The endeavor is far more time-consuming than I expected; I didn’t realize how long it would take to sort through the 2900+ posts to this blog, … Continue reading →

I’ve decided I’ll take a break from my blog for a while. That decision comes after another hour or more, this morning, of attempting to write and failing miserably. Over and over, the words that slip from my fingers seem … Continue reading →

Eggcorns and neologisms. I think I have heard the term eggcorn before, but its meaning slipped away over time. I know neologism quite well; in fact, it’s one of my favorite words. The terms came to my attention again recently. … Continue reading →