The title of this post is a phrase I have heard both brothers Green (Hank and John – or, as John probably prefers, John and Hank) say more than once. And it is true. Collectively, as a species, human beings don’t know most things. What is more, individually, we each only hold a fragment of …
I overthink a lot of things. After more than 4 decades of tightening and loosening nuts and bolts, I can still confuse myself about which way to pull the handle of the ratchet when it’s facing away from me. The mnemonic “lefty-loosy, righty-tighty” works great when you are looking directly at the fastener you’re about …
So I engaged in the annual ritual of apple tree pruning the other day. It is the second year in a row I have done it. That makes it annual. When I planted the trees, two summers ago, annual pruning was not a thing that was on my radar, but every time I would look …
That’s No Moon In next month’s issue of Icarus, a group of geological and astronomical scientists argue for moons and planets to be classified within the same category. Maybe that seems like the very definition of tedium, but I think it is actually a fascinating look into the fallacy of reification, the human capacity for …
A buddy once came to visit me when I lived in Bozeman, Montana. We were both at a point in life that airline tickets were a bit of a stretch financially. However, he knew somebody who worked for the airport in Minneapolis and arranged for him to hang out in the terminals for several hours …
I woke up yesterday thinking about what I wanted to write. And today, same. Yesterday I stayed in bed for a while, enjoying being able to puzzle through ideas under the warm sheets, knowing it was -15F outside. Today, I didn’t lounge – even though it was even colder outside. I got out of …
I had been hoping to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame while I was in Cleveland. I had even made a point to schedule a little extra time into my travel plans, to make it easier to fit that visit around the conference agenda for Crossroads. So I didn’t necessarily need the extra …
I am sure we’ve all been there. Trying to stay out of sight from a second-floor window, while surreptitiously watching, enraptured, as the septic guy installs the new drainfield. That’s a thing everyone does, right? How could you not get caught up? Right? It’s an amazing thing to behold. How did he know exactly …
I got my first adjunct instructor gig while I was still in grad school thanks to my mentor in the Preparing Future Faculty program, Ron Brisbois. The member of the faculty in his department who was becoming the chair was getting a course release, as part of the compensation for the new role. So they …
My office door isn’t plumb. That bugs me. It isn’t far out. You can’t see it. Really, its only noticeable if there is weight on the coat hook on the back of the door. Because then it falls partially-closed. Not fully-closed mind you. Not even mostly closed. Just closed enough to look sloppy. If my …