I have often felt that one of my weaknesses was that I care too much. That sounds like someone in a job interview saying their biggest weakness is that they work too hard. There is no room for humility in the statement, and yet I’m not so sure that people admire caring people so very much. The people who seem to be most liked are those that are happy-go-lucky and always have a cheery disposition.…
I started college in August 1971. That was almost after the main protest years of the 1960s had ended…. almost but not quite. The turbulent protest years that characterized the prior decade had peaked in 1969. I always think of the Kent State massacre as that moment. But during the fall of 1971 and the spring of 1972, ostensibly throughout my freshman year, there were still plenty of anti-war protests. As a guy who had…
Yesterday we went to see the new Steve Coogan movie called The Penguin Lessons. I must admit that I had not heard of the movie before we booked it, but I am a big fan of Steve Coogan and his co-star Jonathan Pryce. This is a true life story set in 1976 Argentina and is about a Brit named Tom Mitchell. It is directed by Peter Cattaneo, who you may remember burst on the scene…
For many years we have been advised to “Keep Calm and Carry On”. The iconic poster has become one of the most recognizable pieces of British design in history, though its journey to cultural prominence follows a fascinating path. The poster was originally designed in 1939 by the British Ministry of Information as part of a series of three motivational posters intended to boost morale during the anticipated bombing of major cities at the outbreak…
The town of Ushuaia, which calls itself the end of the world (Fin del Mondo) has its origins as a penal colony. This follows in the tradition of many countries that sent the most desperate prisoners for incarceration to lands as distant as they could find at the borders of or beyond the reaches of their boundaries. One of my favorite movies has always been Papillon, starring Dustin Hoffman, and Steve McQueen as French prisoners…
I have spoken before about my extended cadre of siblings. The two that I have been closest to for the longest (other than my full sisters, Kathy and Barbara) are Diane and Sondra. Back in 1962, when we were living in Madison, Wisconsin during my mother’s graduate years spent there getting her Ph.D., my mother got thinking that for various reasons it might be a good idea for me to go visit my father in…
We’re almost at the end of February and for whatever reason this year February in the North County of San Diego seems particularly wonderful. It’s 8 AM and we are about to get in the car and drive to Phoenix but in typical fashion I am ready and raring to go a full 45 minutes before our scheduled departure. Buddy is off with his doggy pals at daycare either wondering when we’ll come back or…
My high school buddies and I have been exchanging emails of late for the first time in many many years. The main topic is our days of motorcycling through La Dolce Vita streets of Rome in the late 1960’s. It’s fascinating to hear the recollections and perspectives of guys in their 70’s remembering their days of youthful exuberance from when they were 16-18 years old. Those days our heads were filled mostly with testosterone and…
My kids have outdone themselves this year for my 71st birthday. I always try to make each of their birthday’s special and always have. When my daughter turned 21 in college, I took out a big ad in the campus newspaper, wishing her a happy birthday. This approach seems to have rubbed off on them and every year they get me something for my birthday with varying degrees of effectiveness. Effectiveness defined as getting me…
This morning, I was listening to MSNBC as I drove to the bagel store for our Sunday morning bagels. Ali Velshi was speaking with presidential historian John Meachum and Meachum was referencing Frederick Douglass who said, among many great things, “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” That stayed with me as I drove on my errand. This has become a Sunday ritual for me and I almost always call ahead to the…