The woman held my driver’s license firmly in her right hand and hole punched it with her left. When she handed it back I realized the word “void” had been hole punched in it. I was immediately torn between being fascinated by the cool hole punch and comically bummed about the sad commentary on my…
Category: Life
Not Hiking…
The morning sunlight glistens in the frost on the roof of the house next door. Two planes race across the sky, one trailing the other, both leaving short white streaks in their wake. It’s barely 9am and already the day has been full of modest desires, lots of “I shoulds,” and anticipating the mild disappointments…
Music & Technology
I like music. That’s not the boldest statement to make, but it’s a true one. I don’t know much about music or the music industry which makes it the perfect subject to opine about. If you’ve read a significant portion of this blog, or if you know me personally, or if you just have a…
Thanksgiving 2020
Like so many things in 2020, Thanksgiving this year was different. Last Thanksgiving was the first one I spent away from my family. Friends of my friend Stacy were kind enough to invite me over to a friendsgiving type of event. It was fun and warm and friendly – all the things we expect out…
Attitude of Gratitude
Venting, complaining, bitching – I fell like I do too much of this. By nature, I tend to joke around and be pretty easy going – I like to think I’m laid back…. but then I remember that whiny little bitch inside me. My sense of humor is dry and self-effacing – usually to mask…
Riddles and Rabbit Holes: Goethe, Jazz, and Billy Collins
Last night, my mind was all horns punctuated by drums, fast hi-hat, and quickening bass. I was trying to read poetry and kept hearing the song “We Six” by Paul Chambers. I had to look the song up in my library to get the title. It’s fast and crazy and starts a little cacophonous before…
With Time and Distance
Can two people, both of whom don’t like to be the center of attention, survive the influx of attention in a new relationship – especially if they have different attachment styles? The other day, I received an email from Island photography. It was one of those reminder / memories notifications that we’ve all become accustomed…
Meditation on a Four
My dad sent me a check today. It’s to pay for the stove I ordered and am having installed in his house – where I’m living. I’m sitting here caught between an editing project and wanting to write for myself (either a poem or this blog post). For a few days I’ve been wanting to…
Winter Descending, Mid-November Night
The trees have lost their color and the mountains on the drive to and from work are mostly brown. In the mornings, there’s a still and quiet beauty to them – their soft rolling tops yawn in the shadows and light of the rising sun. But tonight, as I drove home, the sky felt serious…
Some Thoughts on Communication
Last January, shortly before the MLK holiday, my boss sent around an email saying something to the effect that it’s a busy time of year in the office, and we might feel the need to come in to work during the holiday. If we did, we could take flex time some other day. It went…
Paperwork, Detours, and Things of Little Consequence
A number of years ago I was driving to work and listening to NPR when I heard a piece about the psychology behind (and stress we create for ourselves by) putting off relatively simple, but perhaps tedious, tasks. The speaker was a professor at a university. He was, by all accounts, perfectly capable of handling…