I read, I read a lot.  And I love electronic gizmos and gadgets.  So I’m a natural target for the Amazon Kindle e-book reader.  Which probably explains why I was so upset when Amazon fell so far behind in fulfilling orders at the end of 2008.  Since I had… Read full post »

My rebbe died recently.  Rabbi Aryeh Hirschfield of blessed memory, of Portland, Oregon was 65 and died while vacationing in Mexico. 

I’ve found it difficult to describe to people what it means to have one’s rebbe die.  It’s true that he was t… Read full post »

1. This somewhat doctored photo of me is actually a pretty good likeness - I live in my head, my nose is crooked, and my once beautiful brown hair is now mostly white.  

2. I'm a 4th generation Oregonian who longs to live in a nice city like… Read full post »

My wife was happy - relieved I think - when I told her about the other woman in my life. 

I love my wife and we’ve been together for almost 25 mostly happy years, but her interests and mine have been diverging lately.  Take mornings for example.  I’m an… Read full post »

My father as a boy in the 1920’s read a series of not-very-good science fiction adventures for young lads featuring the exploits of Tom Swift.  This was a series done by the Stratemeyer syndicate that also produced the better-known Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew series.  In t… Read full post »

As a baby boomer, I find myself with an increasing number of relatives, friends, and co-workers who have retired, are about to retire, or are counting the (relatively short) number of days until they retire.  Many of these people are about my age, have a similar work history, and made… Read full post »

A Vice-Presidential Reminiscence

There are some curious parallels between the Presidential election of 1968 and that of 2008.  In 1968, the U.S. was mired in an unpopular war in Vietnam.  The U.S. economy was in trouble due to high inflation and a tremendous trade deficit.&nb… Read full post »

A Peculiar Paen in Praise of Arrant Nonsense

“There is no nonsense so arrant that it cannot be made the creed of the vast majority by adequate governmental action.” 

Bertrand Russell

These are difficult times.  The latest polls show that the cynical, even Rovian… Read full post »

A decaying pond

Many flies buzz everywhere

Disappointed frogs

            Mei-Lheg (1672-1734)

Curiously Mei-Lheg is unique as the only classical haiku poet whose first haiku and last haiku were both preserved for poste… Read full post »

Footnotes -- Little dogs yapping at the heels of the text.1

 William James2

Will3 Cuppy4 was the master5 of the discursive6 footnote7.  

1 Dr. Mardy Grothe, 2008, I Never Metaphor I Didn't Like, Collins.  

This book also gives another great quote about fo… Read full post »

Every drop of ink in my pen ran cold.  

That's Horace Walpole's chilling description of writer's block.  Real ink, like water, drips in drops or, preferably, flows smoothly from the nib of a fountain pen.  Other writing utensils, having a family resemblance to fountain pens, ar… Read full post »