Original anecdotes, commentary, rumination, and occasional pontification.
DECEMBER 28, 2025 – I come from a family of characters, who in one way or another have found a relatively clutter-free entrance onto the great highway of life and worked their ways over to the cruise-control lanes of “through traffic.” Good for each of them—for excelling in school and training; for finding their callings; …
SEPTEMBER 24, 2924 – If I were Gilgamesh or Noah and knew the big flood was coming, I wouldn’t limit my response to construction of one ark and restrict access to passengers from the animal kingdom plus my wife, sons and their wives. I’d build a whole fleet of arks, and when God asked, “What …
SEPTEMBER 7, 2022 – (Cont.) For me, the past 24 hours have been packed with deep emotion. When I put my head down on my hospital bed at 11:00 last night, I was filled with amorphous trepidation, the Ativan taken a half hour earlier having had little effect. My sleep through the night, interrupted by …
AUGUST 28, 2022 – (Cont.) Apparently the doctor’s kibosh on my future downhill skiing hadn’t infiltrated my subconsciousness. Last night’s dreams found me filling out an application for a season pass at a high Alpine ski resort. As I awoke, of course, the Swiss scenery faded, but I dwelt in the image as long as …
AUGUST 27, 2022 – (Cont.) Today at noon, I reach “Day 4” after transplant—better than halfway to the halfway mark toward “Day 14”— the day by which the engraftment of stem cells reaches a stage where transplant patients begin to feel better. That leaves 10 days in between. Ten. These are the really tough miles …