Original anecdotes, commentary, rumination, and occasional pontification.
MARCH 21, 2025 – I enjoy the work of good filmmakers as much as I delight in the oeuvres of accomplished writers. Though in each case my radar is honed on “the story,” I’ve learned that often what makes a book or movie especially memorable are all the elements that bring the tale to life. …
MARCH 20, 2025 – Weeks before the Chief Justice himself issued his two-sentence rebuke of Trump’s recent call for impeachment of U.S. District Court Judge Boasberg, I’d been haranguing inside our house, “What are the Republicans in Congress talking about with impeachment of judges who rule against Presidents Trump and Musk? If you disagree with …
MARCH 19, 2025 – Inside the broad sweep of history, we search for keys to unlock secrets of the future. Given how politics, economics, and cultural features evolved (and devolved) in the past, how might we divine the course they will take next month, next year, two generations forward? We take various slides from the …
MARCH 18, 2025 – Yesterday evening in the company of my two history-hungry friends, I attended yet another amazing two-hour lecture (no breaks) by the inimitable Russian history scholar, Professor Theofanis Stavrou. With his usual enthusiasm he delivered his far-reaching deep-diving tightly organized well-sourced exposition. His notes were on the lectern, but he never consulted …
MARCH 17, 2025 – What a difference a day makes. A day; one full rotation of planet Earth, as it revolves around a star, which, in turn, with its eight captive orbs whirls around inside an arm of the galaxy, which itself is soaring through space too vast for our imaginations to grasp. But I’m …
MARCH 16, 2025 – We’ve all seen the latest polls reflecting extreme displeasure with the Democrats in Congress. The bottom line is a huge “thumbs down.” I don’t watch FoxProp (as in “FoxPropaganda,” distinct from MSNBCBOP (for “MSNBC Biased Opinion”), but I can imagine the hosts and guests are howling with glee. That reaction is …
MARCH 15, 2025 – The older I grow, the less I know. Some of what I do know, however, I know better than ever. One example: knowing that I don’t understand war; never have, never will. It’s the epitome of irrationality. Another example of what I know better than ever is that war will never …
MARCH 14, 2025 – One aspect of life that I enjoy with special relish is how random thoughts and encounters can lead to an especially satisfying outcome. It’s a bit like picking greens and wildflowers along a pathway, then discovering that when you stick them into a vase and tug and pull a bit, you …
MARCH 13, 2025 – As are a lot of people I know and respect, I’m at the end of the leash. “What to do?” as my Grandpa Holman would say to preface a protracted account of how he solved an imponderable business problem back in the day. Except in our day, I have no idea …
MARCH 12, 2025 – (Cont.) I was never the literary cognoscente that my sisters and bros-in-law Chuck and GK are or that my late bro-in-law Dean and my parents were. To the extent heretofore I’ve read literature generally or Russian literature specifically, I’ve never explored the background of any writer—just as I never concerned myself …
MARCH 11, 2025 – Though I might fashion myself as the “modern man,” just as the delusionary graduate of a six-week Berlitz language course might think of himself as “bi-lingual,” my comfort zone is the antithesis of “current.” For example, when it came to my turn for our book club’s next reading choice, I put …
MARCH 10, 2025 – (Cont.) Nicholas was single-minded in his pursuit of architectural grandeur and lavish performances inside his multiple theaters—at his estates of Kuskovo, Ostrakino, and Markovo, outside Moscow, his dacha at Champêtre near St. Petersburg, and his most ambitious project, the Palace of the Arts in Moscow. For the Palace, he acquired the …
MARCH 9, 2025 – This evening I finished devouring a most fascinating book, The Pearl by Douglas Smith. It was recommended enthusiastically by Theofanis the Great—better known as Professor Stavrou, le tour de force of Russian history at the University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts. In his introductory lecture a month ago, he assigned …
MARCH 8, 2025 – With the tilt of the North Pole moving toward the spring equinox and daytime temps rising into the 40s and 50s Fahrenheit, last Tuesday’s snow is not long for this world. Given the online ski report I read last night, I decided to race up to the Red Cabin this morning …
MARCH 7, 2025 – The past 24 hours brought a whirlwind of encounters that gave me much to ponder. First was an email from our good Czech friend Pavel—the same inimitable Dr. Šebesta whose letter from 44 years ago was the subject of my 2/24/2025 post. Embedded in his email was a link to Prime …
MARCH 6, 2025 – About a year ago I was driving home one evening with the radio on. This was good timing, since the programming happened to feature an interview with Adam Frank, author of The Little Book of Aliens, which I mentioned in my March 1 post. When this month’s host of my book …
MARCH 6, 2025 – Today I left the Big City and winged my way over the Big Storm back to Big Lake Country. Yesterday evening I’d developed mild apprehension when reading the blizzard warning that NOAA (“Go, NOAA!”) for Minnesota overnight and into today: heavy snow, low visibility, and 40 mph winds with gusts up …
MARCH 4, 2025 – I understand that earlier this evening Trump delivered the longest State of the Union address in 60 years. Many of us chose not to tune in, and I can say with robust confidence that our decision was the right one. In the bubble I shared with four others over a delightful …
MARCH 3, 2025 – Today with my sister as a guide, I took another long walking tour of Central Park, winding up at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. There we spent over an hour viewing the special exhibit of works by Caspar David Friedrich, the German Romantic landscapist. Given the Romantic inspiration derived from nature, …
MARCH 2, 2025 – Today I struggled to maintain good cheer, even a sense of humor, in the reverberatory wake of Friday’s devastating scene in the Oval Office. At regular intervals I received messages today from European friends/relatives expressing a combination of fear, anger, and dismay over our country’s open lurch into Putin’s clutches. To …
MARCH 1, 2025 – Here it is, after 11:00 p.m., and I just jettisoned the lengthy screed that I’d hammered out in anger over the shocking behavior of our president and vice president Friday in their meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky, president of Ukraine. We Americans who are now convinced that Trump is a Russian agent …
FEBRUARY 28, 2025 – The highlight of my day compensated—somewhat—for one of the lowest points in American history: the President and the Vice President of the United States berating and bullying in public, the visiting president of the country said American leaders have sold down the river to our adversary. Most of my readers are …
FEBRUARY 27, 2025 – No, I did not inadvertently omit “Society” from “The New York Historical.” It was The New York Historical Society that ripped “Society” away. While a big chunk of the country has gone bonkers over DEI, back here in New York, where I write this, hyper-libs have intercepted the DEI ball and …
FEBRUARY 26, 2025 – This morning I flew to New York for a fix of music by the Austrian composer Anton Bruckner—his seventh symphony to be performed Friday by the Vienna Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall (stay tuned and in tune). Aboard the flight I reserved an aisle seat to allow for easier walks up and …
FEBRUARY 25, 2025 – In these times especially, a person needs daily diversions that aren’t injurious to the body or soul—or more positively stated, activities that promote mental and physical health. Since the turn of the year, I’ve been hauling self and ski gear over to “Little Switzerland” every day but the four that I …