A Regular Joe Four weeks from tomorrow will be an historic day for sure. I started my voting life while a college student in what seemed like a similarly monumental election. We were trying to mobilize a generation to move away from what we of that generation thought was an untrustworthy leader. We were at war and it was a very unpopular war. And of course, we all know now that Richard Nixon was, indeed…
Teaching in the Modern World In my backyard at my Ithaca house, the house I call Homeward Bound because it adjoins the Cornell University campus where my mother, all of my children and I all attended, there sits a wonderful rock and copper life-sized statue of a reclining Socrates, decked out in full toga, teaching his students most emphatically with hand gestures and such. This always struck me as the epitome of the Socratic Method…
They Call Me Benito If you are like me, there is only one person you associate with the name Benito and that name rhymes with Linguini. That particular Benito led the first fascist coup in 1922 that turned Italy to National Fascism and then spurred on his brethren like Adolph and Francisco to drive their own people into a lather over the next fifteen years. Il Duce, Das Fuhrer, El Caudillo all mean the same…
The Arc of the Sun I just noticed as I sit here in my office at my glass-top curio table, that the sun now rises further south and thus, in the live oak tree that sits on the very top of my little hilltop here in Escondido. This is convenient for me since earlier in the summer, the sun would rise further north and shine into my eyes as I sat her, requiring me to…
Biting the Hand Yesterday, Kim had to take Blind Betty to the doggie eye doctor. I can’t quite bring myself to say canine ophthalmologist, but that is indeed what this specialized veterinarian is. When you think about it, fixing dog (and presumably cat) eyes probably isn’t so very different than fixing human eyes. An eye seems like something that may vary in size and acuity, perhaps even in certain receptor capabilities (Can it see colors?,…
The Unfriendly Skies On Sunday I took a motorcycle ride to the East, up from Castle Creek through the small canyon into Valley Center and the Rincon Indian Reservation to the base of Palomar Mountain. It was a near perfect day with sunshine and blue skies and a temperature just barely tipping into the 80’s. This is always one of my go-to rides that makes me feel free and wonderful. I had picked up Jeff…
Are You Havin’ Any Fun? Tonight I turned on that wonderful movie Quartet starring Maggie Smith, Billy Connolly, Tom Courtenay, and Pauline Collins about four aging opera singers who find themselves in the same old age home for musicians in the outskirts of London. They are struggling with their old relationships and their fading talents as singers. They struggle to agree to sing Rigoletto, an opera written by the most famous operatic composer of all…
Out of the Fog The last few days have been foggy on this little hilltop, I like fog in the morning, it gives me the sense that there is less to worry about with my plants that I want to thrive. Out here, the sun beats so relentlessly down most of the day that I like to make sure everything has sufficient water to make it through the day. When it is foggy in the…
Zoomsday When I was preparing to move out here to San Diego, I wondered a lot about what I would be doing to fill my days. I was technically coming out here with a job, but it was a deferred salary job that may or may not have lasted very long. I had been retained by one client for expert witness services through the team with which I had enlisted, but had no idea whether…
The Dripping Faucet No, I am not expanding my DIY repertoire from gardening and big household projects to routine handyman maintenance tips. I know what a washer is but I have no idea if new age faucets have the damn things. From the few Delta/Moen/Koehler ads I have seen that show the latest digital faucets with Alexa voice commands to “fill 17 milliliters of water, thank you”, I am presuming that even if I had…