In 1981, I read a book by someone who was extremely well-known in some obscure field. I can no longer remember his well-known name, so there’s little chance the obscure field will spring to mind. But I do recall that at one point he offered this as his theory of life: “We’re all in constant… [Read more…]
April 14, 2012
Predicting the future is a tricky business, and the results are usually less than impressive. Take, for example, all of those world’s fair exhibits that have attempted to portray life even just a couple of decades ahead. What we always get are flying cars, highways devoid of traffic jams, entire meals in a pill, and… [Read more…]
September 8, 2011
I sometimes fantasize about having one of those cooking shows, the kind with a set that looks like a fully-equipped kitchen, even though it’s really no more than a stove, sink, and countertop surrounded by big cameras and people holding up cue cards just out of sight. The cooking itself would be largely an illusion,… [Read more…]
July 27, 2011
Once again, an individual has caused mass death and destruction, and sent a wave of fear circling the globe. Once again, people are lamenting the world’s ever-increasing insanity. And once again, a separate incident — specifically, the death of a celebrity — has occurred almost simultaneously, seeming to compete for attention with the larger event. Is… [Read more…]
July 19, 2011
In one of my earliest memories, I wake up with the feeling that I’m covered with ants. I panic, climb over the side of the crib, and run to my parents’ bedroom. “There are no ants on you,” my mother says. “Go back to sleep.” Returning to the crib, I notice that the ants are… [Read more…]
July 4, 2011
I wrote this little narrative based on a black-and-white photograph from a clip-art service. I sent the same picture to Priya, just to see what she’d come up with, and she wrote her own version. As expected, the two are completely different. Priya has written an entire short story, while mine is little more than… [Read more…]
June 8, 2011
This post is about cheesecake. If you don’t like cheesecake, please go away and never come back. If you’re diabetic or lactose-intolerant you can stay, but if you simply don’t care for cheesecake or feel that it isn’t your cup of tea, then beat it. Also, if you use that phrase, “It isn’t my cup… [Read more…]
April 9, 2011
Several weeks ago I was given the Stylish Blogger Award by rumblycottage. Because I’d already received this award months ago (and felt self-conscious about it the first time), I really didn’t know how to handle this second honor. Then, about a week later, I was notified by play101 and writerwoman61 that they’d named me for… [Read more…]
February 26, 2011
My friend and blogging buddy, Priya, has published several enlightening posts about India, her homeland. After reading each of those posts on her blog, Partial View, I’ve found that the more I learn, the more questions I have. I don’t think I’m alone. India is still so strangely unfamiliar to most of us who haven’t… [Read more…]
November 10, 2010
In a recent post, shoreacres wrote about her father and the long-ago influence he had on her views about rights, responsibilities, and what it means to be a citizen in a democratic society. Her wonderful essay got me thinking, again, about my own father. For many years, I had been unfair in my memories of… [Read more…]
May 2, 2012
97