Archive for the ‘Reflections’ Category
A WWII Train Ride
[The following was a memoir that my father sent to me last year, just a couple of months before he died.] Following the end of the war with Germany in May, 1945 the Army Corps of Engineers unit of which I was a member was assigned to Army of Occupation duty. I was finally tagged […]
In: All, Personal Notebook, Reflections
Thuggy Projection
A couple of nights ago I wanted to read something not too taxing and reliably satisfying. I had a newish Spenser novel by Robert B. Parker handy, so that was the choice. I admire Parker's prolific output, his plots that do not get by on stereotypes and cliché, and it doesn't hurt that I can […]
Tag-Cloudy Januaries
I am amused, sometimes delighted, occasionally perplexed, by tag clouds. Regardless, I had wanted to make my own. So today I found out about TagCrowd, and now I can make my own. About what? Well, the obvious answer is: about me. I'm still thinking of processing all the text from Bearcastle Blog, but that will […]
In: All, Reflections, Such Language!
The Rising Tide
I had a passing thought about the operational platitude for Reaganomics that collided with another thought; the second one bounced off so I don't remember what it was, but consider the platitude: The rising tide floats all boats. Could it be that the platitude encapsulates useful truth, provided we realize that "rising tide" is meant […]
In: All, Briefly Noted, Reflections
Therapy or Torture?
While doing some research for a story that I'm writing, I came across this fascinating paragaph describing the use of the drug succinylchloride in "therapy" for "sex perverts", a category that included gay men and straight pedophiles — the latter generally being typically described as "homosexuals" in the first half of the twentieth century. Apparently […]
In: All, Plus Ca Change..., Reflections
Cheeseburger Metaphysics
Years ago I was visiting a Roy Roger's establishment for lunch, when I overheard possibly the most interesting metaphysical argument I'd ever heard in a fast-food restaurant. As background, it's useful but not essential to know that Roy's sold only cheeseburgers, no hamburgers. When I arrived there was in progress already a vigorous, if not […]
In: All, Hermeneutics, Reflections
The Poverty of Conservatism vs. Gore's Nobel Prize
Congratulations to Al Gore and the UN IPCC for winning the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. Isn't it interesting to see how quickly the American Presidency has diminished by another big step. Liberal schadenfreude, of course, demands that I talk about conservative failures rather than Gore's successes. Conservatives today are galled (perhaps "gored"?) that yet another […]
In: All, Current Events, Reflections
National Coming Out Day 2007
Today, October 11, is celebrated annually by more and more people as "National Coming Out Day"; despite its name, people in many countries celebrate NCOD. First observed in 1988, NCOD marks the anniversary of the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1987. The official NCOD logo (at right) was created […]
In: All, Faaabulosity, Reflections
My Sputnik Childhood
I nearly let pass this notable milestone: 50 years ago today the Soviet Union* launched the first artificial Earth-satellite, called Sputnik. It was a tiny thing — suitable I suppose to being the first baby of the birth of the space age — just 24 inches across and weighing only 184 pounds. It was made […]
In: All, It's Only Rocket Science, Reflections
Performance & Performing
Our "Kiss Me, Kate" rehearsal Wednesday night# went pretty well, about where we should have been with two days to go and a few details to brush up. For me it was good because I finally remembered all my lines at all the right times, as well as lyrics and dance steps. All this was […]
In: All, Music & Art, Reflections
Positive Procrastination
Yesterday morning I woke up thinking about procrastination, for some reason, perhaps from reviewing the long list of things I'd been wanting to get done recently, and I thought I'd write a few notes. This morning I woke up thinking about procrastination again, probably because I hadn't written about it yesterday. I am a world-class […]
Sometimes Higher Prices
Isaac and I made a brief visit to Wal*Mart yesterday, in search of something we hadn't been able to locate but were told they had. We went despite feeling that shopping at Wal*Mart is never really a peak shopping experience. As we shopped I thought about a number of the other shoppers, and thought about […]
In: All, Plus Ca Change..., Reflections
I'm No Bigot, But….
A little while back my sister forwarded to me yet another of those lists of philosophical observations — typically reactionary attitudes told in the form of jokes with bad timing and worse punch-lines — this one attributed to Andy Rooney. (It's urban legend, of course.) Among it's pithy comments was this gem: I think that […]
MyPO
I suspect my mind was in neutral for a few minutes this afternoon — again — when two ideas collided: my own (lack of) personal finances, and the Supreme Court's apparent insistence that corporations should have constitutional rights, just like people. Hey! I thought, if corporations can do things just like people, maybe people should […]
Witches & Liberty
I've been enjoying reading Napoleon's Buttons (citation below), sort of the history of the world through the eyes of a couple of organic chemists. More later when I get to the book note. Anyway, what follows is a longish quotation that I found lots of resonance with for some reason — perhaps because it's US […]
In: All, Plus Ca Change..., Reflections
Eight Facts & Habits
My friend "Three-Thumbs" Tim had the nerve to tag me with one of these pointless internet "meme" things. I'm an old-enough fart that they seem rather like glorified chain letters to me. Yes, yes, I know all about memes and such — I suspect I've read more books by Dawkins and his ilk than most […]
Running Man
Sometime a few weeks ago I was reading some novel — I'm afraid I don't really remember what it was, but it almost certainly was a modern crime/mystery novel — when one of the characters made a passing reference to Paul McCartney & Wings, and their long-ago hit song "Band on the Run". "Band on […]
The Ur Poodle
This is a story, a longer one — with pictures! — about the origins of our fascination with Poodles of God (most recently mentioned here). This bit of photoblogism is thanks to Chris Ambidge, who supplied the photographic treats. In June of 2000, Isaac and I were visited by friends Chris and Bill*. Exactly how […]
Leaving the Stone Age
At lunch yesterday I was reading from Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel, about which I'm sure I'll have more to say in the future, but this isn't about that exactly. As he has discussed how various societies have trounced other societies and taken them over or wiped them out, the discussion occasionally touches on […]
A Beethovenish Birthday
Monday night, thanks to my friend Deb, I had a very lovely evening by way of a birthday treat. True, it was two weeks after the event but then, I was out of the country at the time. Besides, I was well rested this way. Further besides, this Monday was the scheduled date of the […]