Thoughts

Where I Want to Live

October 4, 2010

The Suarez family, friends of my brother Arlan, were planning to redo their kitchen, and so offered the old cabinetry to our family. Since the cabinets in at Mom and Dad’s are ancient steel monstrosities that are probably at least thirty, if not fifty, years older this was an opportunity for frugal upgrading. The cost [...]

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The Tragedy of New Socks

September 28, 2010

(Click on image for larger copy.) Last week I broke down and bought myself some new socks. It had come to the point where most of a certain bunch of socks had holes in the heels, and were working on complete disintegration on the bottom. They were headed toward the state of being more absent [...]

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Do You Dream in Color?

September 24, 2010

Someone recently commented to me that they dream in vivid colors. This made me stop and think: Do I dream in color? Since it is hard to recall a whole collection of dreams in detail, on the spot, it is hard to give a scientific answer. But my best recollection is this–Sometimes, I definitely dream [...]

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Be Wary of Casting Stones

September 22, 2010

I recently read a Vanity Fair article about the Greek debt crisis1 by Michael Lewis. (Hat tip: The Ethereal Voice2.) I was already aware of the broad picture of the Greek crisis, so it wasn’t an amazing eye-opener for me. But the article does give a nice summing up of the situation, along with an [...]

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Winter is a Friend

February 25, 2010

The snow is falling thick and fast outside my window, and the weather report says we could end up with a total of nearly two feet. With this as the atmosphere, I sit down to write about winter. Winter is like a friend. Not so, you say? True, sometimes it is very easy to think [...]

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What Pictures Say

December 31, 2009

There is the old familiar saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” The sentiment is only partly true. A picture of the Grand Canyon can convey its physical appearance far more clearly than a thousand words. But a picture tells you very little about what someone thought about the Grand Canyon. If someone brings [...]

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Feasting and Socializing

December 21, 2009

I am often reminded of two things at family gatherings. (1) I am not very good at socializing. (2) I am not very good at feasting. As to the second point, Saturday’s party would be a good example. The main course of the party was sheet pizza. I had four slices of pizza at lunch, [...]

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The Christmas Card

December 17, 2009

Last week I learned that my namesake died. It was in the obituaries in the newspaper. Grandpa’s older brother Gene died on Saturday, December 5th. He was 85. Gene was Grandpa’s most beloved brother, and I was called by his name by Grandpa for the last two years of Grandpa’s life. Gene’s health had been [...]

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My 28th Birthday

November 17, 2009

Today was my 28th Birthday. It was a day like any other day for me because I celebrated this past Saturday with my family. Even Saturday was very low key. Beyond picking out supper (roasted leg of lamb with potatoes and home made chocolate éclairs for dessert) and everyone singing the worst screeching rendition of [...]

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That Brillant Color

October 13, 2009

The season starts with hints and whispers. Autumn’s first glimpse comes in the glint of firey color amidst the green, the first note caught in a cool crisp breeze. But autumn, like spring, comes quickly after that first glimpse. Spring bursts forth in green, springing up, exhilarating like a rockets swift ascent. Autumn bursts asunder [...]

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