Original anecdotes, commentary, rumination, and occasional pontification.
MARCH 28, 2026 – Fortunately, half a century ago Bruce Springsteen’s band-buddies back in Asbury Park, New Jersey started calling him “the boss” (in reflection of his dual role as music and band finance director) and not “the king.” Lots of Americans have a boss, but no American should have a king. Springsteen’s famous moniker …
MARCH 27, 2026 – (Cont.) Later, while ascending and descending the hills of “Little Switzerland,” I framed the preliminary objectives and methods of a “universal national service” (“UNS”) program: The objectives would be to: Counteract political polarization by integration of people across all demographic factors; Bridge traditional socio-economic divides, again by integrated living, working; Instill …
MARCH 26, 2026 – This morning Beth and I were up and at ’em[1] before broadening daylight revealed how drab the sky remained after last night’s rain. Beth was scheduled to catch a morning flight from MSP to BDL (Hartford, CT) to visit our New English grandchildren—and their parents. As usual, she was well organized …
MARCH 25, 2026 – This morning, I drove to Buerkle Hyundai on the east side of town to have my car serviced. After checking in my Sonata, the service rep ushered me into the well-appointed customer waiting area well-stocked with edibles and beverages. I resisted temptation driven by my addictions to sugar, sodium and caffeine …
MARCH 24, 2026 – Today at Beth’s suggestion, we took our fourth grader granddaughter to Central Park after picking her up from school; not the Central Park but its namesake in the adjoining town of Roseville. Saturday’s teaser temp—in the mid-70sF—had passed eastward, but with the mercury at 50F and the sun edging another three …
MARCH 23, 2026 – I often recall from the first Trump Era protest I ever attended (October 2018). My favorite protest sign, a sign of the times—then and since—read, “WHERE DO I START?” As if in a game of spin-the-bottle, for today’s topic I landed on . . . the “SAVE America Act[1]” Yesterday while …
MARCH 22, 2026 – As my serial readers know, yesterday’s post involved a brief trip aboard my personal time machine. I assure my younger readers—I’m blessed to have some—that as you travel deeper into old age, your time machine logs miles . . . er, light years . . . at an increasing rate even …
MARCH 22, 2026 – I’m not making up the name—Derward Badger. If I were writing a novel, however, set in the remote reaches of Vermont (admittedly redundant, given that the entire Green Mountain State is relatively isolated) featuring a seemingly odd and inscrutable character, a veritable old Vermonter whose appearances are minor and scattered but …
MARCH 20, 2026 – In the all-too predictable Orwellian-speak of the Charlatan in Chief, today, just days into what could well be another endless war, he told us that he thought the economic impact of his “excursion” against Iran would have been worse than it’s turned out to be. Think about it: at the political …
MARCH 19, 2026 – My wife suffers from chronic insomnia. I hear about it in the morning, because once my head hits the pillow, I myself check out from all my problems, real and imagined, and transition to the wonderland of dreams. But last night was an exception. I was disturbed initially by the minor …
MARCH 18, 2026 – Over the decade from 2009 to 2019, Sally Scoggin and I practiced law; separate firms, different practice areas but the same daily grind of . . . “billable hours.” During that same decade we spent many hundreds of additional hours—entirely non-billable—practicing repertoire for our annual “winter house concerts,” dubbed, “The Fiddler …
MARCH 17, 2026 – I was a fourth-grader—our granddaughter’s age—when the famous St. Patrick’s Day Blizzard slammed Minnesota. School was canceled, mostly on account of the travel hazards facing school buses that ferried all the “farm kids” (whether they lived on actual farms or not) to and from schools in town. We who lived inside …
MARCH 16, 2026 – Whenever I think of the hallmark of our species—resilience—I think of the late Ruth Oppenheim, mother of my close college friend, Jeff. Ruth passed away late last week after a long, long life. As far as her family and wide circle of friends are concerned, however, her extraordinary life couldn’t possibly …
MARCH 15, 2026 – (Cont.) Think and say what you will about Harry S. Truman, but he was a George Washington next to what now passes for a president. Although I have yet to read David McCullough’s definitive biography of Truman, I know enough about our 33rd president to shape a reasonably well-informed opinion of …
MARCH 15, 2026 – Somewhere along the line of my secondary education John Hersey’s book, Hiroshima was required reading. As our nation’s foolhardy leader drags us into yet another war, Hersey’s account of six survivors of the blast that was “brighter than a thousand suns” should again be required reading. The “book” was an article …
MARCH 13, 2026 – This evening we enjoyed dinner out with our good friends Jim and Bonnie. Manitou, the popular spot in downtown White Bear Lake, was royally hopping in anticipation of St. Patrick’s Day, just four days away. Just as we were finishing our meal, a Girl Scout in full regalia started making the …
MARCH 12, 2026 – This past Monday’s post was entitled, “Why I Went to College.” Today I learned “Why I went to high school,” or more precisely as regards the latter, “Why I went to a particular high school.” Long-time subscribers to this blog are familiar with my connection to the Green Mountain State; specifically, …
MARCH 11, 2026 – I remember watching/listening to portions of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearing conducted by the Senate Judiciary Committee back in 2022. She gave a credible account of herself—erudite, respectful, genuine, articulate, and a methodical thinker. Based on her C.V. and on what I observed, I thought—Yes, she seems well qualified to …
MARCH 10, 2026 – I’m nearly laughing out loud—“LOL” in the vernacular of The Text. Earlier today I struggled mightily in my role as a remote writing mentor for a couple of high school students. In each case it was a classic matter of, “Where do I start?” I don’t mean to disparage my mentees. …
MARCH 9, 2026 – It’s a question with multiple answers—broad and narrow: “Why did I go to college?” As is the case with the same basic question in other contexts, the answers can be approached from either side of the subject experience. For example, “Why did I go to Paris?” The “pre-answer”: “To see the …
MARCH 8, 2026 – Much ado has been made online—wholly appropriately—of the Commander in Chief’s wearing a baseball cap during the ceremony at Dover Air Force Base to receive the remains of the six dead American servicemen. I haven’t talked to any soldiers, sailors or airwomen/men or veterans about this, but of MAGA members among …
MARCH 7, 2026 – Lately I’ve been in what I’d describe as a “knowledge-informational funk.” Part of the problem appears to be the shortage of storage space inside my cranium. If part of my brain is a storage room with floor-to-ceiling shelving, all the available space is metaphorically crammed with exposure to issues acute in …
MARCH 6, 2026 – I read somewhere—I think it might’ve been in The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr—in which a study of London cabbies revealed overly developed memories in the region where navigational information is stored. Obviously, the study pre-dated Google Maps and other familiar GPS-based apps. Today …
MARCH 5, 2026 – I really feel as if I’m a passenger on one of those gargantuan cruise ships with 23 decks, 25 dining rooms, 18 swimming pools, and enough poker chips to sink the ship if they all slid off the poker tables at the same time. (Eh, eh. That’s a joke.) The cruise …
MARCH 4, 2026 – Yesterday in a regular chat with a close college friend, we talked politics—as usual. After venting our spleens over the latest outrage—war against Iran—my good friend asked me, “Where do you think America will be a year from now? What’s your prediction?” After answering his question, I asked him, in turn, …