A new school year is starting. Someone once told me the beginning of the school year was like a freight train. It is massive and has so much inertia that, when it comes by, you either have to jump on or get run over. I have actually come to see that analogy as being too …
Thoughtful text that is concise and accessible is a mark of persistence. No worthwhile creation is born fully-fledged. Complex physical movements are always performed clumsily before they become fluid: walking, running, riding a bike, throwing a ball, strumming a guitar, mincing an onion, hitting fifth position… No amount of natural ability in any of those …
I took my first chemistry course as a junior in high school (Grade 11). I think that was pretty common in the U.S. for most people in my generation. I guess chemistry was still an elective in most high schools in the early-90s. But it was an entrance requirement at most colleges by then – …
My mom wanted her ashes spread in the river at her favorite campsite. So after the memorial service, my family and some of her close friends made the trip south from Havre, into the foothills of the Bear’s Paw mountains. Actually, now that I think about it, I am not certain whether that particular campsite …
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 drove past a small boulevard tree the other day, maybe 8 feet tall with a 1.5-inch diameter trunk, which was completely engulfed in a plastic sheet. A big sheet. I’ll bet it was 10’x 25’. Heavy too. Probably 15-20 mil thick. It was the day after a winter storm that had brought 12 hours …
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 …