JUNE 13, 2019 – Back in the day, we who are of a respectable vintage communicated by voice in two ways: in person or by telephone with a combination receiver/microphone attached by a cord to the telephone itself, which was hard-wired to the outside world. We corresponded primarily by one of three methods: a letter …
THE CURMUDGEON . . . AND THE LETTER
JUNE 4, 2019 – Yesterday I yelled at four people—two by phone, two in person. I don’t mean “yell” yelled, but I was pretty steamed. In each case of “yelling,” two thoughts occurred to me: 1. I’m becoming a curmudgeon; and 2. The targeted person was probably less than half my age. (That would mean born …
THOUGHT EXPERIMENT
MAY 23, 2019 – Every so often I play a kind of amusing thought experiment that also sharpens the powers of observation. It goes like this . . . I decide on a person from some age a long time ago. Sometimes it’s a relative—a great, great grandparent, for example; or a famous person about …
THE ART OF THE DETAIL
MAY 22, 2019 – Attention to detail can be critical. Observing a “No Left Turns” sign can avoid a head-on crash on a one-way street. Describing a parcel of real estate as “Lot 1, Block 2” instead of “Lot 2, Block 1” can prevent a legal malpractice case. Returning the pliers to its designated drawer …
PREJUDGED
MAY 21, 2019 – Prejudice—I’m as guilty of it as is the next person. One of my best examples occurred aboard an overnight train from Lyon to Paris. The train had originated in Rome and pulled into Lyon well past midnight. My reservation was for a second-class compartment already occupied by three other men about …
“FOR” CIVILIZATION
MAY 19, 2019 – According to the notable behavior scientists, Robert W. Mitchell and Nicholas S. Thompson, many animals are capable of various forms of deceit. No creature, however, outdoes humans when it comes to selling—and buying—a bill of goods. Think, “[truthfully] fake news.” Or look at the founder—and followers—of any cult. Consider too the …
A 25-CENT APHORISM TO IMPROVE MY BETS
MAY 18, 2019 – Generally, I’m a fairly good judge of character. Throughout my careers as a practicing lawyer and a manager inside a large bank, I’ve had to place bets on many people. Most bets have turned out as I’d hoped or better. But a few years back a bet went wrong. I misjudged …
A GUY NAMED GUY
MAY 17, 2019 – Yesterday was our lawnmower’s first outing of the season. I poured fresh gasoline into the tank, pressed the choke button nine times, pulled the starter cord just once, and VRROOOOM! With such luck I imagined being the starting pitcher of the season opener, at home, throwing my first pitch; a 98.7 …
THE HEART OF THE MATTER
MAY 14, 2019 – Today is bright and sunny. That wasn’t the case nine years ago. Dark, thick clouds darkened the day, and a hard rain fell most of the morning and into the afternoon. It was the day of Dad’s funeral. He had played a prominent, positive role in my life, and I was …
TRASH AND STASH
MAY 13, 2019 – Among our idiosyncrasies are the dichotomous traits of “trashing” and “stashing.” On one hand, we design obsolescence into our “durable” goods’ to ensure that they won’t be that durable, and all the other stuff we buy comes with loads of packaging, which winds up in the trash . . . along …
FRAME OF REFERENCE
MAY 8, 2019 – I once heard an historian say that a probative history can’t be written until the subject matter is at least 50 years in the past. By extension, I suppose, the historian would caution us against making any judgments about the (always) tumultuous present. If you think hard enough about those correlative …
FLIGHT
MAY 6, 2019 – Since I was a kid, I’ve been fascinated by flight, fueled by three early impressions: First, during my earliest school days, I’d look skyward whenever a North Central Airline Convair turbo-prop droned overhead—“NOR” in large black letters on the bottom of one silver wing and “CEN” on the underside of the …
OLMSTED WAS ON TO SOMETHING
MAY 5, 2019 – An urban gem lies near the center of St. Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 1873 and now encompassing hundreds of acres, Como Park includes a zoo, pools, fountains, picnic grounds, mini-golf, a ski center, a butterfly garden, a vintage carousel, a kids amusement park, an 18-hole golf course, athletic fields, miles of …
“ALL ABOARD!”
MAY 1, 2019 – Life is like a long rail journey—across India or Australia, let’s say, or the length of Egypt, or from L.A. to St. Paul. At the starting point, the train is clean, fresh, and ready to roll. The crew is welcoming, and as you will soon discover, your fellow passengers are quite …