Last night we went to a party on a hilltop near us. To the north of our hilltop are several other hilltops (we live in a very hilly area to the west of the serious mountains, but to the east of the flat plains that run out to the ocean). Tucked in between Hidden Meadows and the Lawrence Welk resort complex (that’s right, once owned by Mr. Bubbly himself), there is a relatively expensive gated…
Yesterday the news arrived that Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, died at his home in Plains, Georgia at the age of 100 years and a few months. It reminded me immediately that my mother died eight years ago at the same age of 100 years and a few months. I liken their two lives for a great many reasons. Both were born in rural communities to parents who owned farmland and…
Many years ago I read the now famous novel Things Fall Apart, written in 1958 by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. It is considered one of the great literary works of the Twentieth Century. That may be because it was one of the first novels to come in European style and yet from the pen of a native African, but still others believe it is simply a great story that needed to be told from a…
Let’s get one thing straight right from the get-go, I am inclined to be lazy. The word sedentary was designed for me. I am both a home body and I am contemplative at all times, which predisposes me to sitting and thinking or sitting and watching or siting and listening, and as most of you know already, sitting and talking. When I garden, I like to sit. I now have nine benches on the back…
Yesterday I was watching an immersive video on my Apple Vision Pro, which has gotten a resurgence of interest from me over the holidays because I have been letting others test drive it. That immersive video was an aerial tour of the islands of Hawaii, a place where I have spent almost no time (I went there for 36 hours in 1999…don’t ask, it was a work thing). Hawaii has always been a place of…
Today is Boxing Day, an occasion that really came into the vernacular in America in the last few years. The term comes to us from England, where it is traditionally celebrated on December 26th. It originated in Britain during the Victorian era, though some of its customs trace back even earlier. The name has a few potential origins, but the most widely accepted explanation relates to the practice of giving “Christmas boxes.” These boxes were…
My last stop in NYC during my visit this past week was at the memorial service for a long-time friend and colleague. His name was Peter and I first met him in perhaps 1981, so 44 years ago. He died at age 84, so I knew him for over half his life and over 61% of my life. If I think of my adult life (post college), I would need to say I knew him…
I love the New Yorker magazine. It always makes me think. Today I read an article in the most recent edition about President Javier Milei of Argentina. It caught my attention for a number of reasons. To begin with, I spent a lot of time in Argentina in the 1980s trying hard to get back about $500 million that they owed my bank. That was during the presidency of Raul Alfonsin, who had followed a…
Given that we now live 2,759 miles away from New York City, a mere 5 +/- hours by plane, plus another four+ hours of transit time to/from the airports (not to mention whatever unexpected but still somewhat ordinary hassles occur at the airports on either side of the country), Kim and I do our best to coordinate our visits to accommodate as many multiple purposes as we can. The cost of air travel for us…
The other night I watched a movie that had missed my screen for many years. With all the movies that get served up and dangled in front of me for consideration through Prime, Netflix, AppleTV, Peacock, Paramount and MAX, I am very surprised that this one has never been pitched to me or perhaps just got overlooked by me. It stars Al Pacino and John Cusack, two actors I would always want to watch. It…