Odds and Ends
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I’ve often heard people beating the same old drum, “I don’t want a lot of stuff to dust,” as their reason for minimalism. Well, I hate to break the news to you: The entire universe is made of gas and dust. So, whether or not you have a bunch of bric-a-brac upon which dust will…
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Today, I didn’t wake up and put down a fresh wee-wee mat. Nor did I wake and intone, “Come on, Rocky, it’s pupperton time, the best time of the day!” Today, no one turned in tight little circles before exploding through the sliding-glass door into the delight of an early spring morning. This morning, I…
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On a Sunday in late February, while sipping our morning coffee, Kathy turned to me and said, “How about throwing me a birthday party? It’ll be the last big bash in our house.” (We’re on a two-year downsizing plan.) I gave one of those “I’ll consider it, Hmms” and then replied, “Sure. Why not,” and…
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Listen, my children, and you shall hear Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere, On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-Five: Hardly a man is now alive Who remembers that famous day and year. He said to his friend, — “If the British march By land or sea from the town to-night, Hang a lantern…
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The Wright Brothers’ first flight was 120 feet and lasted twelve seconds. Had Usain Bolt witnessed their feat, he might have been mildly amused while grinning that his gold medals and world records were safe even against machines. Back to the drawing board, the Wright Brothers went. Their tenacity turned 120 feet and twelve seconds…
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Mmm, what would I want carrying my name? The first thing that comes to mind is some sort of structure. But definitely not a tunnel; in the event of an accident, I wouldn’t want people stuck inside me. It would be somewhat ironic if I had to call my wife and tell her, “Honey, I’ll…
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In what was dubbed “Operation Cyclone,’” the U.S. furnished the Mujahedin with the weapons and cash they needed to resist the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan; Iraq fired SCUD missiles that they acquired courtesy of the Soviets at the U.S. for intervening in the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait; the U.S. coughed up a billion or so…
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Dear Miserly Old Prick, In the event that you’ve lost track of time (doubtless you have; it’s a symptom of living too long), it’s 2062, and you’re 100 years old. Congratulations. But are congratulations in order? Should longevity count as an accomplishment? Let us examine the situation, shall we? Presently, you’re enjoying life with the…
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I’m a basic man, a conservationalist in my accepted wisdoms, who practices the art of minimalism. I am also a salt-of-the-earth Italian who believes in attacking matters one at a time and correctly. Some call it OCD; I call it focus. If I’m doing something, rest assured, it is not a frivolous whim but a…
