Taking the long way…
When I was a kid and working on my homework, I had a habit of asking mom how to spell a word. She was adamant that I look up the word. I don't recall her ever helping me in that way. After a while I got so used to looking up the words that it became a pleasant...
This too will pass
The last several weeks have been trying ones. First we were locked down by Covid (and still are). Then came wildfires that generated millions of cubic feet of life threatening smoke, killed dozens and wiped out the homes of several 1,000 families as well as the...
Notorious RBG
Today, at 4:50PM PST I saw a news flash on my phone that Ruth Bader Ginsberg had just died. It felt like cosmic punch was thrown into my gut. Besides her lauded intellect and service to justice, I just really liked her spunk. I will not repeat all of the...
Smoke gets in your eyes (and nose, throat and clothes)
"Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" is a show tune written by American composer Jerome Kern and lyricist Otto Harbach for the 1933 musical Roberta. The song has these opening lyrics: Now, laughing friends deride, Tears I cannot hide. Oh-oh-oh-oh, so I smile and say, "When a...
Smoke + Mirrors
Oregon, Washington and California are experiencing wide-spread fires. This news has been reported world-wide. In Oregon, where we live, 1 million acres have burned. 40,000 residents have been evacuated and 500,000 folks have been told to get ready to evacuate. Our...
Unchained
The German philosopher Martin Heidegger stated: “It is because of an inclination toward falling (Verfallensgeneightheit) that the factical life, which is always in fact that of the individual, is not usually lived in that way.” As Wolfram Eilenberger states in his new...
Between an Orange Rock and a Heart Place
As the United States begins its rapid descent into tribal and race warfare, we must accept the inevitable end of life as we know it. That life was, after all, partially an illusion. Those of us who enjoyed the post WWII boom and benefited by our class and race are, by...
Certainly Uncertain
Since early March, I have been on a slowly evolving new relationship with myself. What started as an urgent isolation to avoid being infected by COVID-19 has become, more or less, a way of life. I suspect that it may be the new norm for a very long time. It may even...
Was #45 Necessary?
"In the time of universal deceit telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." —George Orwell In early 2016, I had a heated on-line debate with a Native American political activist from Minneapolis who was advocating that Native Americans vote for Donald Trump. He...
Keeping Positive
In these days of self isolation and radical people avoidance measures, we are all facing our inner selves in many ways. Some are in denial and reaching for spirits beyond reason to justify a closeness that will likely kill many of them. Others are relishing this time...
Joe v Bernie
I am in a strange mood regarding the choice between the two last candidates standing for the Democratic candidacy. For my whole voting life, I have always voted the democratic party's ticket. I also have a deep appreciation for and belief in the democratic process...
Individuality + Togetherness
Beginning today, my wife and I are following the sound medically and scientifically proven advice of social distancing and staying home. We will be good citizens and not jeopardize others with ill-advised travel and human contact. Even though we may not contract the...