1. The Usual Commute People are sorry that I have commute to Bastrop to teach. How unfortunate, I imagine it goes, that he must drive so far. But here’s the thing of it. There is time, and there is space. Yes, it is farther than I have commuted before, but it is briefer than the […]
Category Archives: Default
A Girl of Few Words
Sun, 19 Jan 2020, 05:13 PM (-06:00)
1. Boarding the Plane I had boarding pass C12. The plane was mostly full. It was going be hard to find a seat like this which had enough room for my backpack in the nearby overhead bins. There was a middle seat available in Row 2. “Is that seat taken?” I asked the woman in […]
The Number 7 Slot
Sun, 12 Jan 2020, 10:23 PM (-06:00)
It was Friday afternoon of the first week back at school. Week one is difficult for me. My feet start hurting again. My voice falters and Throat Coat is in order. I am tired, even though we just had two weeks off. I know it will be better next week, but it just doesn’t seem […]
Anand Giridharadas
Sun, 12 Jan 2020, 01:55 PM (-06:00)
Anand Giridharadas, as his about page begins, is a writer. He is the author most recently of Winners Take All which sadly, in spite of a valiant go last summer, I have not finished. (So many books, so little time.) Why I didn’t stick with it, is beyond me. His writing is a joy to read, […]
Transparency For The Holidays
Sun, 5 Jan 2020, 11:05 PM (-06:00)
The Chachi comes down here, sometimes. Stays here, or stays downtown in the hippest part of the city where walking is entirely sufficient unto whatever the day might bring. Walking works here, too, but this place here is far from hip. And she came here in December. When we said “Come on down” to her […]
Where’s Your Brother?
Fri, 3 Jan 2020, 01:39 PM (-06:00)
“Where’s your brother?” I asked Izzy. She had been barking at the front door and then barking at the back. When the frantic cacophony dissipated, I realized that Charlie was no longer in his bed by the fireplace that we never use. Loud noises startle him, and her barking certainly qualifies. Izzy didn’t answer my […]
They Don’t Represent Us (Part 1)
Mon, 30 Dec 2019, 11:48 PM (-06:00)
A book: “They Don’t Represent Us” by Lawrence Lessig. Some notes about Part 1, in which Lessig talks about the flaws in our system… Lessig divides his analysis of inequality problem into “us and them” which he tackles in two chapters. Chapter 1. (Them) Five aspects of inequality: (1) the ability to vote, (2) gerrymandering and […]
Lost in Math (or Eye Rolling about Big Thoughts)
Sun, 29 Dec 2019, 09:41 AM (-06:00)
A book: “Lost in Math” by Sabine Hossenfelder (who blogs at BackReAction). A quote… “How patently absurd it must appear … that people get paid for ideas like [those of Xiao-Geng Wen and his collaborators]. But then … people also get paid for throwing balls through hoops.” (p. 192) Let’s explore this a bit. Big […]
His Father’s Writing
Sat, 28 Dec 2019, 05:43 PM (-06:00)
“Do you read your father’s writing?” she asked. There was silence. I stared at my hands. I knew the answer. She had to ask again. “Do you read your father’s writing?” He shook his head. Mumbled a no. She asked why. “It’s just too weird,” he said. She asked why. He talked about being the subject […]
Eye Contact
Sat, 28 Dec 2019, 12:49 PM (-06:00)
1. On Eye Contact In Switzerland, I understand, it is considered poor form to toast someone without making direct, intentional eye contact with them. Having been told this, Trudy and I have adopted the habit. Whenever our glasses meet in cheer, so do our eyes — intentionally, with the unspoken knowledge that we are following […]