As a young adult, I once heard someone say that “there’s no such thing as a stupid question.” This came as a great surprise to me, because not so many years earlier, stupid questions had been quite common. In fact, my parents had pretty much convinced me that I was a natural spring of inane… [Read more…]
August 31, 2011
A paranoia has spread across the land, a fear that we’re being monitored and manipulated. Every time we type a word or product into a search engine or online retail site, some sophisticated software tracks our activity and stores it for future marketing purposes. Purchase a box of Frosted Flakes at your local supermarket, and… [Read more…]
August 14, 2011
As a child, I was puzzled by life. Not to say that I was constantly puzzled. The feeling was tempered now and then by milder states of bafflement, bewilderment, and, on days of relative lucidity, simple confusion. Still, I’d imagine a time off in the distant future of adulthood, when the dust would settle, the… [Read more…]
February 18, 2011
It was October 28, 1955. The planet Mars had just entered the sign of Libra, Venus was moving into Scorpio, and the Sun was in the Fifth House. I don’t know what any of that means. Honestly, I don’t think it means anything. All that seems to matter is that I was born one day… [Read more…]
January 22, 2011
This is a dumb post. It isn’t really about anything except a car door, a small chunk of ice, and a seat belt. And to a minor degree, Thomas Edison, but that’s really pushing it. Let’s start at the beginning. I had big plans when I got up Friday morning. I made a list of… [Read more…]
December 27, 2010
It has always mystified me how something can quickly fall from the very top of a Christmas or birthday list to the absolute depths of disdain — and the back of a closet. During the past fifteen years I’ve watched our children repeatedly obsess about some item they swore they couldn’t live without, only to… [Read more…]
December 15, 2010
In his Simple Life Prattle blog, Allan Douglas frequently writes about the strides he and his wife have made in their effort to streamline their lives. Reducing clutter and living with fewer possessions has been a big part of that, along with trading in their big-city home for five acres in the Great Smoky Mountains… [Read more…]
December 11, 2010
One day my father, for no apparent reason, began a hypothetical discussion with me about pennies and how quickly they could add up to something. It’s possible that he was using a diversionary tactic after I’d requested an increase in my allowance. He said that if we were to put a single penny into a… [Read more…]
November 29, 2010
I like watching nature shows, especially the ones about exotic animals. But there always comes a moment when I have to leave the room. It’s when the predator goes on the hunt, and something is about to get eaten. The narration usually stops at this point, and we can hear chewing. How they get this… [Read more…]
September 29, 2010
The only thing we have to fear is fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror… – Franklin Roosevelt, 1933 I am not one of the conspiracy theorists, but I am in almost constant contact with them. I get several emails a week from family and friends telling me that I should take my… [Read more…]
September 30, 2011
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