Category Archives: Uncategorized

Much of my “padding” is gone, thanks to significant weight loss over time. Sitting on a wooden bench at the Balboa Marina at lunch yesterday was extremely uncomfortable; there’s essentially no fat to cushion my bony butt from the hard … Continue reading →

The U.S. government and many of the people it represents have long justified the displacement of indigenous peoples in support of westward expansion. The so-called treaties—used as tools during the negotiations to persuade indigenous people to exchange lands east of … Continue reading →

Too much sanity may be madness and the maddest of all, to see life as it is and not as it should be. ~ Miguel de Cervantes ~ Marfa, Texas has occupied my thoughts—off and on—for several days. I suspect … Continue reading →

A recent afternoon, spent listening to a variety of traditional and contemporary classical music, triggered in me a powerful longing for the impossible: a deep emotional and intellectual understanding of the core of the music, the kind of understanding that, … Continue reading →

A correlation exists between a person’s discomfort and his inability to harness coherent thought. The greater the degree of discomfort, the less lucid his thinking. Despite suggestions to the contrary [that irrational thought and ingenuity feed off one another], the … Continue reading →

Mid-October’s cooler temperatures, I hope, will help douse the fiery social and political rages of summer. But the weather, even if it has some impact, will not solve the problems arising from universal fury. If we have a any realistic … Continue reading →

Sometimes, signs pointing to the road to recovery are subject to the mischievous cruelty of vandals. Two days ago, I thought I was on that road. In fact, I was trudging along a country lane that, as I traveled, morphed … Continue reading →

The day began uneventfully yesterday. By 10:00 a.m., though, it began to sour. It got progressively worse—first, mild discomfort, then significant discomfort, then pain, then intense pain. From there it went downhill. I won’t go into the unappetizing details. Suffice … Continue reading →

Pressure. Uninterrupted stress. Tension. Heaviness. Brittle. Fragile. Breakable. Friable. Weight. Even in an environment overburdened with linguistic opportunities, we’re often at a loss for words. So many utterances fail in their efforts to attain man’s search for meaning. Understanding is … Continue reading →

High-speed replays of educational programs created and delivered by the U.S. guv’mn’t enable anyone with a Groove-Tuber Connection to get free access to courses including such classics as Dictatorship is Good; Permanently Stupefying Your Stupid Constituents; Road to Ruin on … Continue reading →

One by one, the twinkling stars stopped twinkling. Their lights dimmed, then brightened, then dimmed again and, finally, died. Early that night, the sky was so full of stars there was no space between any two of them to place … Continue reading →

American Gothic is the 1930 painting by Grant Wood, depicting a farm couple standing in front of their Carpenter Gothic style home. Wood’s sister was the model for the woman in the painting. The Wood family’s dentist was immortalized in … Continue reading →

The feathers of those big, raucous birds are as black as carbon. The sheen of their plumage reflects light like mirrors. The creatures’ morning routines consist of boisterous interchanges—perhaps conversations or arguments or mocking laughter. The trees surrounding the driveway … Continue reading →

While most of us were busy with our cluttered, frantic, and questionably purposive lives, a few among us spent time and intellectual energies on more esoteric matters. Twenty years into the twenty-first century, a group of astronomers devoted their days … Continue reading →

Some days, virtually everything within my line of sight appears dull, as if bleached by the sun or treated with whitewash. Like an old, weather-beaten wooden fence painted with a thin mixture of lime and water, every image on those … Continue reading →

Once again yesterday, I had a multitude of things on my mind, but my brain refused to cooperate in documenting any of them. So, after I had been up for quite a long time, went back to bed, where I … Continue reading →

The forest-green, long-sleeved, t-shirt I am wearing is covered with strands of white cat fur, thanks to my decision to hold Phaedra (the cat) in my arms  for an incredibly brief moment a short while ago. Judging from the amount … Continue reading →

The first leaf-drop of the season may have taken place just moments ago. Whether it was the first one or not, watching the leaf break away and float to the ground seemed symbolic to me; change is on the horizon. … Continue reading →

I think it’s important for one to take a certain distance from oneself. ~ Václav Havel ~ Sixty-eight years ago, members of the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division and the National Guard escorted nine Black students to class at the … Continue reading →

The safest countries in the world today, according to worldpopulationreview.com, “tend to display high levels of wealth, social welfare, and education” and they “typically have effective criminal justice systems and governments that maintain very healthy relationships with their citizens.” The … Continue reading →

It was another one of those seemingly endless nights, blending the remnants of the fading day with encroaching darkness. The night again lasted far longer than did darkness, finally giving in halfway into another day. I find it hard to … Continue reading →

The time is almost 7:00 p.m. I decided to write a short post, despite the late hour. I may write again tomorrow or I may decide I have nothing of interest to share. Time will tell. +++ I thought I … Continue reading →

Much of last night, spent on the fringes of sleep, felt like punishment for an unspecified crime or major infraction. Half-asleep and one-quarter awake, the rest of my hours of “sleep” churned in unpleasant semi-consciousness. Now, when I try to … Continue reading →

I’ve begun writing posts for this blog a number of times during the past few days, giving up each time after admitting failure. Today, regardless of my judgment of the quality (or lack thereof) of what I write, I will … Continue reading →

The day began later than usual after nearly two more days of nearly non-stop sleep. Sometime during the last umpteen hours, a concept took root in my brain. I expected it to express itself in the form of a short … Continue reading →