Category Archives: Uncategorized

An obligatory year or two of service to one’s country or community; that concept, which I once fiercely eschewed, long ago took permanent root in my brain. The service need not be in the military (and, in fact, I have … Continue reading →

I got up about an  hour and a half ago. It is hard for me to believe that much time has passed; I must have been in something of a daze for part of that period. I wonder whether it … Continue reading →

Reading an article that discussed a neurology professor’s discovery—that a man’s “out of body” experience could be traced to the anterior precuneus—caused me to remember a periodic mental/emotional experience I had when I was much younger; twenty-five or so, possibly … Continue reading →

I spent the morning of the Fourth of July last year—2022—in the emergency room of  St. Anthony’s Summit Hospital in Frisco, Colorado, a town adjacent to Silverthorne, Colorado. In hindsight, we probably should not have been in the midst of … Continue reading →

The activities of yesterday morning, into mid-day and beyond, ultimately led to an afternoon nap. That capped off a very pleasant day, but one which conflicted mightily with a pledge mi novia and I made earlier: to return to our … Continue reading →

My left shoulder is bothering me again. The cause could be a pulled muscle, over-stretched tendons, bone-against-bone chafing, simple arthritis, or one or more of dozens of other possibilities. The underlying cause does not matter, except to the extent that … Continue reading →

This afternoon, mi novia and I will host former neighbors, a couple who lived next door to me, for wine. We’ll then go for an earlier dinner to a nearby restaurant. Beforehand, we will take the necessary steps to ensure … Continue reading →

Time is spinning out of control, as if a relentless rogue clock has taken the universe hostage. The timepiece is flaunting its unchecked power by accelerating the passage of days and weeks and months, causing them to rush past in … Continue reading →

Permanent global totalitarianism. Dystopian evolutionary scenarios. Anthropogenic existential risks. Extinction of Earth-originating intelligent life. Permanent, drastic, irreversible destruction of humanity’s potential for desirable future development. Those terms/concepts appear throughout academic papers dealing with existential risks to to the human population. … Continue reading →

Last year on this date, June 28, I wrote about waking to an odd sensation, as if my body was vibrating. The year before, on the same day—my late wife’s birthday—I expressed confidence she would have been happy for me … Continue reading →

The world can become too much. Too intense, too hard, too harsh, too unforgiving. Compromise is brushed aside by the force of inertia. Entreaties fall on deaf ears. Or, rather, pleas go unspoken. Because nothing is to be gained by … Continue reading →

I have an obligation to myself to write at least one blog post every day. Sometimes, though, I do not meet my obligation. I fail, in other words, to fulfill my promise to myself. Today, I began writing a post, … Continue reading →

I’m just starting on my second cup of coffee, more than an hour and a half after I awoke. Promises I made to myself notwithstanding, I spent that time pouring over news stories on cnn.com, apnews.com, npr.org, and bbc.com. Whether … Continue reading →

The social fabric is thinning. Fraying and threadbare, tensions on crucial fibers cause rips and tears. Critical seams split, revealing naked bigotry, aggression, hatred, and unchecked fury beneath the cloth. Efforts to mend the damaged protective material repeatedly fail. The … Continue reading →

Rebellion. Expressions of individuality. Fitting in to a coveted social group. Pronouncements of (or attempts to declare) leadership of a coveted social group. The reasons for youthful (and not-so-youthful) bodily adornment and deformation are numerous. And they take many forms: … Continue reading →

Enormous oak trees—supported by spine, maples, hickories, and hawthorns—stand guard over the forest floor. Most people assume trees do not have thoughts or emotions, but people’s assumptions may be informed entirely by their innate limitations. Humans probably cannot comprehend the … Continue reading →

Downsizing. Minimizing. Trimming. Whatever the name, the act of reducing the number and volume of one’s physical possessions is appealing. Simultaneously, though, it is anathema to one’s obligations to preserve important components of the past. My mother’s set of beautiful … Continue reading →

  Curses and maledictions! Big damns and little damns!  Before I go overboard, I should allow the assessment to play out. I should chill. Take time to permit the universe to adjust itself. Give circumstances a chance to shrug off … Continue reading →

The Texas Rangers is the only Major League Baseball (MB) team that is not hosting a Pride Night celebration this season. Given Texas’ deepening bigotry and hate-fueled culture, that is not surprising. But, wait. Is criticizing the sin of silence … Continue reading →

Shortly after 1 a.m., brilliant flashes of lightning and extraordinarily loud, earth-shaking cracks of thunder roused me from deep sleep. Just as I awoke, the NOAA weather radio’s alarm screamed, followed by its almost indecipherable, crackling voice, warning of a … Continue reading →

I quickly skimmed an online, paid click-bait article this morning; it claimed many “historical” figures may not have been real. Jesus. William Shakespeare. Robin Hood. Confucius. Sun Tzu. Odysseus. Pythagoras. Moses. Muhammad. Etc. Etc. Etc. The brevity of my review … Continue reading →

Nothing comes to mind. Nothing compels me to write. I cannot grab hold of a topic to trigger this morning’s blog post. I tried the news, but it was either dull or disturbing; not a single topic lit an ember … Continue reading →

Temperatures in Tampere, Finland—roughly 180km (112 miles) north of Helsinki—had been forecast to reach 30°C (86°F) today, according to an online report in the Helsinki Times. That temperature compares to “normal” highs in June of 18°C (65°F); the normal high … Continue reading →

There was a time, no so long ago, when self-identification as a Democrat or Republican announced a person’s philosophical position on issues surrounding a party’s political platform. Claiming adherence to one party’s philosophies did not equate with loathing people whose … Continue reading →

I feed my imagination by subscribing to Family Handyman magazine. When I flip through the pages of the magazine, I dream of producing a wooden sauna or laying a winding, flower-lined brick walkway or building a cavernous workshop filled with … Continue reading →