[…]I am a dry man whose thirst is praise of clouds, and whose mind is something of a cup. My sweetness is to wake in the night after days of dry heat, hearing the rain. — Wendell Berry, Water (1970) He read his poem to us the other day from a chair on the stage. […]
Yearly Archives: 2011
The Truth About Tools
Sun, 27 Nov 2011, 08:51 PM (-06:00)
At the end of the presentation, the students opened the floor to questions. A man in the back stood up. He had been a sponsor their work. It was a mission for him: to pass knowledge to the next generation by dropping them into the melée and putting them to work with technologies and software before […]
Happy Thanksgiving To You All
Thu, 24 Nov 2011, 09:44 PM (-06:00)
I whine a lot. This I know. I have high expectations, but I am thankful for many things. I am thankful that phone call from Ben from New York to tell of his adventures in Grand Central Station looking for a train to somewhere in the Connecticut suburbs where he was invited for a Thanksgiving […]
He Liked It
Wed, 23 Nov 2011, 08:16 PM (-06:00)
“I am so in love with Facebook!” she announced as she walked down the hall. She stood in the doorway. “You were so wrong to close your account.” I looked up. “I just posted, ‘Pumpkin pie in the oven,’ and five seconds later your nephew liked it.” She turned to leave but then turned back […]
Mic Checks
Sat, 19 Nov 2011, 07:33 PM (-06:00)
One of the amazing things to come out of the occupy movement is the human microphone: a pragmatic way that Occupy Wall Street protesters in Zuccotti Park cope with the constraint that they may not use any sort of public address system. The speaker calls out “Mic check!” which tells the audience to pay attention. […]
Joy of Adjournment
Sat, 19 Nov 2011, 04:06 AM (-06:00)
When he proposed we adjourn, a collective sigh went up. It was late, and we had been stuck in one meeting followed by another. We were happy to be done and ready to go home. I hung up the phone and walked out of the study. Even the dogs were glad. When I appeared in the […]
Pink
Fri, 18 Nov 2011, 02:20 AM (-06:00)
“What color leash do you want?” the salesman asked as he pointed to the spectrum of options arrayed on the wall. Izzy was wearing a pink sweater when we adopted her. And a pale pink collar. And moments before we had chosen a pink harness for when we take her walking. So I was having visions […]
izzy
Sun, 13 Nov 2011, 04:47 PM (-06:00)
Izzy and Magenta Monkey. One of the two of them is a new addition to the family. Guess which one.
Long Distance Telephone Call
Sun, 6 Nov 2011, 09:17 PM (-06:00)
“I’m going to get this roach,” she said. “But be prepared: I’m probably going to scream.” I laughed … and then listened. There was a slamming sound and sure enough there was a short, sharp shriek. She came back to the phone. “Screaming,” she explained, “is something I just can’t control around roaches.”
Longing For Things
Sun, 6 Nov 2011, 08:58 PM (-06:00)
He was sitting in the back of a 737 on the tarmac in Dallas waiting for boarding passengers to find their seats. It was raining. He gazed out the window and looked at the puddles of water under the wing and thought of the parched garden and the suffering trees back home. It had been […]