Category Archives: Just Thinking

On December 5, six weeks will have passed since I had my left ear pierced. After that date, according to the piercing-person, it will be safe for me to remove the surgical steel stud she placed in my ear and … Continue reading →

Last night, I listened to music on my computer, via Spotify. Among other pieces, I listened to Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring. The piece I played was an instrumental, performed by Leo Kottke on 12-string guitar. No matter who played … Continue reading →

The discovery of Harper Lee’s heretofore unknown book, Go Set a Watchman, thrilled an audience starved for Lee’s magical ability to embrace the heart and soul of her readers.  And then, What Pet Should I Get? was published, giving us … Continue reading →

The brisket I smoked over the weekend was tolerable; disappointing, but tolerable. I should not complain. So, I won’t. How’s that for a surprise?! As I type this, I’m listening to loud and intensive music. Earbuds, of course; my wife is … Continue reading →

I don’t share my thoughts the way I once did. Apparently I failed to translate my thoughts the way I’d have to do in order for the person with whom I was sharing to really understand. So, rather than suffer through attempting … Continue reading →

Five years ago, give or take a day or two, I was glued to my seat on the sofa, watching CNN News, hoping beyond hope that thirty-three miners in Chile would be brought, alive, to the surface. I don’t know … Continue reading →

I have a long history of misjudging people. When I owned a business, and even before, when I managed organizations and was responsible for staffing them, my “gut feel” meter was wrong about half the time. It might have been … Continue reading →

I must have been nineteen or twenty years old when I decided I wanted to die. I needed to free myself of the pain, the unrelenting loneliness, and the angst that accompanied me on my trip from adolescence into early adulthood. … Continue reading →

Today’s schedule includes smoking three pork butts, writing something potentially worthy of my critique group, possibly attending an Audubon meeting and/or a documentary film festival, and watching for potential thunderstorms in the afternoon. Some of these events may be incompatible … Continue reading →

I wonder whether body decorations like tattoos and ear rings are intended to accentuate or to disguise. If I were to get an ear ring, would it be an ornament or a distraction? Will it draw attention to a part … Continue reading →

I’ve decided, based on videos readily available on Facebook, that I need a baby goat as a pet. When that baby goat becomes a rambunctious teenage goat, I might be less inclined to think it’s cute, but I could deliver … Continue reading →

Let me suggest to you that, one day when no one else is around, you take the process of cooking in a slightly different direction. My suggestion is that you do this when you are preparing to make a shrimp dish, … Continue reading →

Fear. We think we know what it is until we experience it. Then, and only then, do we recognize that fear is a physical being, an entity with weight and force, writhing with malice. It is a monstrous—yet ephemeral—demon, a  translucent … Continue reading →

I posted the following essay exactly three years ago today. I remain perplexed that the ideas I offer here have not found their way into genuine conversation and debate. It seems so obvious, to me, that the concept of employment … Continue reading →

Last night, my favorite wife and her favorite sister and I drove into Hot Springs to hear a presentation about the structure, style, and components of jazz. The event was held at the Fine Arts Center of Hot Springs (626 Central … Continue reading →

Bottom line, I probably would not turn down an offer of marijuana in the proper circumstances. Yeah, I know. It’s illegal. That notwithstanding, I wonder where I might get my hands on some? It’s been a long, long time since … Continue reading →

Some days as I amble through my life, I notice people quietly and anonymously doing nice things that deserve appreciation. Things like flipping a mailbox closed to prevent rain from wetting the contents; picking up a home-delivery newspaper from a driveway and flinging … Continue reading →

Next Wednesday night, I’ll again go on stage as “feature poet” at Hot Springs’ Wednesday Night Poetry. The first time I did my gig, it was held at Maxine’s, a bar and music venue. Since then, the organizers of Wednesday Night … Continue reading →

I read a post on Quora a few weeks ago that got me questioning, again, about how many of us humans came to such ambivalence about food.  Why, for example, are so many of us happy carnivores when the food on the table … Continue reading →

My recent research into first-year anatomy class in medical school—followed by my unnecessary readings about human anatomy, medical school program formats, and the like—has persuaded me I could have successfully pursued a career in medicine. I would have had to change … Continue reading →

Mica Comal slipped out of his coffin, grabbed a cane from a nearby rack, and ambled toward the front door. Episcopalia, the blind Costa Rican woman, stopped him at the door of the church and asked, “¿Tienes corazón negro?” “No, señora, … Continue reading →