Archive for May, 2008
- On Marriage
A pair of stories in today’s New York Times examine the new directive by Gov. David A. Paterson instructing state agencies to “recognize what he called the basic common sense of allowing gay men and lesbians married elsewhere to gain the same rights … as heterosexual couples.” The first, “How Governor Set His Stance on […]
30 May 2008- Billions
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Second-year high school algebra class, my instructor was an iron-haired, iron-willed Conservative, hawklike in appearance, peering into the mysteries of higher mathematics and fidgety teen psyches. One day, in an effort to wrap the class’ mind around truly large numbers, he asked, “If you had a billion dollars and spent a thousand dollars a day, […]
26 May 2008- Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
Here’s how long my hair was until 11 this morning: I had not cut it, except very minor trims, in roughly five years. It now comes almost exactly to my shoulders. Debbie at Great Clips cut a 10-inch ponytail off the original length and I donated the hair to Locks of Love. That alone made […]
22 May 2008- Five Places I’ve Lived …
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For a couple of weeks some years ago, my home was a culvert under a highway in Huntsville, Alabama. I drug in a reinforced plywood sheet so I could sleep on a plastic bag full of my old clothes over the drainage water that, according to the rainfall, trickled or streamed through. At night the […]
21 May 2008- Festività
Had “Roman Holiday” been produced according to modern corporate media standards, Gregory Peck would have grabbed Audrey Hepburn during the handshaking scene, lifted her into his arms, and as Eddie Albert ran interference, clipping guard after guard, he’d have whisked her away to his waiting Vespa scooter and they’d have sped off into the Italian […]
20 May 2008- A Matter of Taste
Though I meant the whole ”Three Bad Habits …” entry jokingly, tongue planted firmly in cheek, Jim took up the gauntlet and is answering all five questions on his site. I was surprised by the first response, partly because of its seriousness, but mostly for this statement, which almost exactly mirrors my own feelings:
I thought […]
16 May 2008- Three Bad Habits …
“I procrastinate.”
“I interrupt people.”
“I don’t call anyone.”
Oh, waah!
This is the very reason I dislike most memes: The questions are soft and those answering them tend to do so while viewing themselves in a most flattering light. In all honesty, if your worst habits are not calling people, interrupting conversation, and procrastination, get in line for […]
15 May 2008- Five Things on Today’s To-Do List …
The following are five “sticky” items on my to-do list, meaning they get repeated every day.
Commune with God
One morning I stepped from the shower, hair and beard streaming water, toweled off, pulled on jeans and a polo shirt, turned to a companion, hair still dripping, and asked, “Who am I?” Her eyes widened. “Oh my […]
13 May 2008- Ten Years Ago …
“I don’t think there are any Russians
And there ain’t no Yanks
Just corporate criminals
Playing with tanks” — Michael BeenWe were innocent.
I sat with a gargoyle under a stone bridge out of the rain, watching a thundershower grouch across the sky from west to east. The storm was a grumpy old man, darkly gray and full of electric invectives, […]
12 May 2008- Meme This
As a rule I don’t do memes. I don’t even like the word; and if I met Richard Dawkins on the street, I would gladly knee him in the gonads and gloat as he crumpled to the ground and writhed in agony.
But in this case I was tagged and one of the questions intrigued me, […]
12 May 2008
