Original anecdotes, commentary, rumination, and occasional pontification.
JULY 6, 2026 – (Cont.) As is the case with most great art and literature, The Oppermanns is art reflecting life—specifically, a critical phase of the life of the author, Lion Feuchtwanger. Much of what shapes the outlook of Gustav Oppermann, a central character in the book, the artistic mirror, is the writer reflecting on …
JULY 5, 2026 – Today I completed my reading of The Oppermanns, a masterfully conceived and crafted novel by the inimitable German-Jewish novelist and playwright, Lion Feuchtwanger (1884 – 1958). It was one of those books that leaves one breathless—and knowing that the work deserves to be reread, and more deeply analyzed, with the likely …
JULY 4, 2026 – To be honest, for me, the Bicentennial was a much bigger deal than the Semiquincentennial.[1] This inverted perspective is counter-intuitive: after all, “a quarter of a millennium” (or “half of half a millennium”) is much grander-sounding than “two centuries.” If celebration at the 200-year mark years warranted a few extra “bombs …
JULY 3, 2026 – (Cont.) A little before 4:00 I pulled up to Sally’s house. Outside were three people—a man and two women, all of my approximate vintage—chatting next to a car. The man was leaning his arm over the top of an open car door, and one of the women appeared to be about …
JULY 2, 2026 – (Cont.) Of course, the page/site provided no guidance as to how one can “contact Microsoft.” In my archives, however, I found two phone numbers associated with the company. I called the first one, only to subject myself to the offensively loud, compressed and repetitive sales pitch for a “free” medical alert …
JULY 1, 2026 – (Cont.) When I first met Tim, he was in his late 20s, maybe 30; a reformed paleo-archeologist with a masters degree from the University of Tübingen. I was impressed when years later he showed me his thesis paper—all in German. I didn’t understand a word of it, but I no trouble …
JUNE 30, 2026 – One thing I’ve learned in life is to make sure my fly is closed and I’m not wearing ketchup on my tie when reading the riot act to someone. Years ago I witnessed that exact situation on the part of a particularly obnoxious lawyer with whom I was acquainted. Slovenly on …
JUNE 29, 2026 – We’ve all grown accustomed to “news inundation,” much of it arising out of outrageously bad governance in the nation’s capital. Some of the outrageous—the reflecting pool, for example—makes a mockery of the very real but unaddressed needs of Americans. Other aspects of the outrageous—the continuing campaign to round up people for …
JUNE 28, 2026 – (Cont.) Older age, I’m discovering, induces a re-evaluation of both “happiness” (and its pursuit), and “meaning.” In the first place, as one looks back at age 70, one realizes that pursuit of most things slows. No longer is the step-up in vocational or professional standing “pursued,” any more than an Olympic …
JUNE 27, 2026 – This morning I shot off an order for a couple of new books—The Backsliders: Why Leaders Undermine Their Own Democracies by Susan Stokes, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago and Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality by Danielle Allen, a …
JUNE 26, 2026 – The most famous opening line in British literature is, “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, …
JUNE 25, 2026 – (Cont.) Our son Byron deserves special credit for having placed the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum on our expedition’s itinerary. It’s not a destination I would’ve included—though not because of any negative bias or lack of interest. Byron himself had never expressed a particular interest in JFK or his legacy, …
JUNE 24, 2026 – (Cont.) The historical capstone to our Beantown expedition was an all too short morning-long visit to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum on the UMass campus along the Charles River. Since the library and museum opened the year after I graduated from college, I excused myself for never having …
JUNE 23, 2026 – (Cont.) Despite all the time I spent in Boston during my undergraduate days and on my many visits thereafter, I’d never walked the Freedom Trail. It was the brainchild of William Schofield, a columnist for the Boston Herald. He proposed it in a column in March 1951, and just three months …
JUNE 22, 2026 -(Cont.) At 10:00 on Saturday morning, the expeditionary force hiked the three-quarters of a mile to the T for the ride to Chinatown, where we alighted for the short walk to the Boston Common and the start of the famous Freedom Trail. But first we ambled around Boston’s glorious park that comprises …
JUNE 21, 2026 – (Cont.) I hate talking about my health, except when people ask about it in a manner that signals their awareness of my particular history and their sincere concern about my condition and prospects. On the other hand . . . Four out of five trips by air make me sick with …
JUNE 20, 2026 – With two small royal children taken on a road trip goes a regular camel caravan of supporting supplies and equipment—the Pack N Play; toys; strollers; stroller fans in case the weather is too hot; stroller blankets in case the weather is too cold; ample food supplies; cloth bags stuffed with diapers, …
JUNE 19, 2026 – Blogger’s Note: I’m on assignment–gathering material.
JUNE 18, 2026 – Today I barely glanced at news headlines, and I embarked on no conversations with anyone about anything of substance in the realm of worldly matters beyond some basic issues of business law. Instead, I followed the lead of our grandchildren—and their grandmother, who has a better sense than I for how …
JUNE 17, 2026 – In a big city with a sprawling subway or underground public transit system—London, Paris, Tokyo, Seoul, New York—the experience is similar: you descend down one large hole in the ground, board a train, ride a few stops, return to the surface of the earth and . . . Regardez! You’ve wound …
JUNE 16, 2026 – Today we sojourners followed our guides at a leisurely pace to bustling Midtown. I never tire of going there and watching the swarming tourists, businesspeople, shop workers, shop patrons, delivery persons, traffic and traffic police—all participants in the wondrous interchange of goods and services that make up . . . the …
JUNE 15, 2026 – Today, Beth, our 10-year-old-granddaughter and I boarded a train bound for “the City.” Bits of conversation, long views out the window, a medium-length snooze, a Chekhov short story, and an even shorter cab ride . . . took us to our destination. The main elevator to the apartment is being overhauled, …
JUNE 14, 2026 – Our “Connecticut son” has a large mower to go with his family’s large yard. He also has a large garage for storing the large mower, but as he has learned about space in the context of home ownership, the homeowner never has enough of it. In other words, he discovered that …
JUNE 13, 2026 – Recently, my daily walk took me past a school playground on the opposite side of the street. It was recess time, and on the near side of the playground a group of fifth or sixth grade boys and girls were kicking a ball around. I’d say “soccer” ball, except it looked …
JUNE 12, 2026 – (Cont.) Anxiety: My Violin – Part I. Back in January I noticed an imperfection in my A string[1]. Often this is a sign the fine-wire binding around the string is about to unravel. When this occurs, nothing can be done except to replace the string. Easy enough, except . . . …