The Great Expectations of Steven “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” This was, indeed the tale of two cities, but neither…
Relitigating the Wheel The moment I knew I would have to encounter is coming tomorrow. The litigation between the The New York Wheel and its primary contractor, called the Design/Build Team (DBT) has gotten to the point where I am being deposed tomorrow. Due to some quirk, the deposition will be held here in San Diego, so it will be relatively easy to get to, but it will be the standard “up to 7 hours”…
Be Useful I have just watched the three-part Netflix series called Arnold about the life of Arnold Schwarzenegger. It was recommended to me by my oldest son Roger, who has always had a thing about pro wrestlers, and, I guess, guys like Arnold that build themselves up physically. I found it a very interesting biopic. There were three episodes, one for his early life and bodybuilding career (he was Mr. Universe four times and Mr.…
Breakfast of Champions While I was in college, Kurt Vonnegut, a notable fellow alumnus of Cornell University, wrote a book called Breakfast of Champions. The title is an obvious take-off from the General Mills breakfast cereal called Wheaties, which specializes in putting the pictures of famous athletes on the box to encourage young Americans to eat their breakfast cereal, which is basically a corn flake with bran added to keep the youngsters more or less…
An Expert’s Expert Business is booming. Did I mention that I’m retired? Have I explained about how after 45 years of being in harness, I’m working hard at trying to relax more and be less focused on achievement orientation? Well, I seem to be doing something wrong here because the work just seems to be coming at me more and more rather than less and less. And here’s the thing that I have to admit,…
The Academy Plato would hold court in a grove of trees (presumably for shade) on a hillside outside Athens. Based on the name given the place by its owners, it became known as the Academy. Since those days, the word has been used for a vast array of institutions of learning and/or sport and it has always carried with it a sense that these are loftier pursuits that improve the mind and body and elevate…
Vindication Don’t you just love it when some long-held belief ends up getting some validation and makes you feel that you are not so very stupid after all? I’m not so sure that I am as opinionated as some people, but I have more than my share of long-held views that inform my lifestyle and make me the way I am. I think we can call it the Popeye effect where we all huff and…
I Express Therefore I Am I checked my files and I have twice written stories that used the expression Cogito Ergo Sum, I think Therefore I am, penned in 1637 by French philosopher Rene Descartes. Some expressions, and I guess especially the existential ones, always pop up when you get introspective. Well, I’m at it again on this foggy Mothers Day morning and it has little or nothing to do with my mother. Now there’s…
Mobilizing I find myself thinking a lot these days about the notion that motion is the best lotion. When I left New York City three years ago, it coincided with my long-time NYU general practitioner deciding he too was moving his act to California (somewhere up by Palo Alto, I think). He was an Irishman with a noticeable Irish accent and a tendency towards osteopathy, which is to say a more holistic view of healthcare.…
The Hole in My Pocket As a storyteller, I often quip to people that when and if I ever write my proper autobiography (as though these blog stories don’t effectively do that already), I already have a title all picked out for it. I am a big title guy and often use a title to lead me into or out of a story. I guess there is a part of this storyteller that is also…