I was raised an only child by kind and supportive parents. Sound middle-class values were expected, but discipline was gentle, love and respect evident, and abuse non-existent. This is my excuse for my inability to write good fiction. Occasionally, though, … Continue reading
Yearly Archives: 2012
Sweet B, going on four, told me yesterday by iChat that she likes goat cheese. “Oh, that’s so yucky!” I shouted. “No, M,” she hollered back gleefully, “you’re wrong!” So my grandchild is an argumentative goat-cheese lover. What did I … Continue reading
Walkabout seems to be over. Anyway, I’m declaring it done, and we’ll just see what tomorrow brings. I’ve been looking at the offerings here. I’ve long been fascinated by the possibilities of web-based learning. A lot of it is garbage. … Continue reading
I like Billy Collins. He’s certainly not one of our most profound poets. There’s something about his work that often reminds me of a New Yorker cartoon. But he’s wonderfully accessible, and he’s no mere Ogden Nash. This is an … Continue reading
I read a mostly anti-thesaurus blog post this morning that included this little 1986 screed from Stephen King: You want to write a story? Fine. Put away your dictionary, your encyclopedias, your World Almanac, and your thesaurus. Better yet, throw … Continue reading
A birthday and an anniversary yesterday. We’re promiscuous bubble-quaffers, and any vaguely celebration-worthy event soon finds us tickling our noses. So there’s almost always an inexpensive bottle in the fridge waiting for an excuse to have its cork popped. Usually, … Continue reading
An unusual run this morning, back from dropping my car off for service. This was on roads that used to be part of a long standard loop I ran, and it reminded me of three things. First, that I’ve strained … Continue reading
Sweet B, leaning on my knee between bunks in our little tent/cabin on St.John: “M?” Me: “Yes, B?” B: “M, are you really, really old?” Me, taken aback—my father’s still alive and kicking at 88, after all, so the double … Continue reading
Pix and some words soon about white sand and blue water, but I’ve been on a Leonard Cohen kick lately. (See? I’m not just all Billie Holiday and Count Basie.) It’s not his swingin’ rhythms, obviously. Its his words and … Continue reading
Nice, sitting here watching the snow floating down, to know that I’ll be floating soon myself, off to a tropic isle with many of my favorite people, where we will all float languorously together in the warm azure waters of … Continue reading