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One Thousand Words
It is said that when you have hit what’s called a writer’s block you should simply start writing something. Anything. This is not a topical blog, so there’s not a “thing” I can turn to, like cheese, or philately – it means stamp collecting, but it sounds like a sex act, yes? – or current…
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Mountains, Richard Nixon, and Cats
When you’ve been to the top of the mountain, you realize how deep the valley is, how treacherous the ravines, how jagged the rocks. And you long for the mountaintop’s view, for the air up there, which just seems fresher, and for that sense of achievement that comes from finishing your climb. I grew up…
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The In-between
When I was 15, a teacher whose name I’m struggling to remember gave us an essay assignment: in 500 words, describe your life at 35. I had a very clear idea of where I would be and what I would be doing. I had gotten my Master’s degree in English from UCLA, had returned to…
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My love letter to writing
Writing is one of humanity’s oldest and most transformative inventions. Long before the printing press, long before the Internet, and even long before bound books, people felt the urge to mark symbols onto stone, clay, and parchment. Those early scratches were more than just records of grain or trade; they were the first attempts to…
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A Day in my Life
While you were basking in the glory of the Seahawks’ Superbowl win, or wallowing in the misery of the Patriots’ defeat, I quietly snuck off to have surgery. I’ve already discussed the why and the what, so I won’t rehash that here. And I’m doing fine… a little tired, a little sore, but at this…
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If it’s not one thing, it’s another
Last summer, when I was diagnosed with lung cancer, I promised to keep you, thoughtful reader, updated on my journey. In that regard, it’s all good. The tumor on the upper part of my right lung was 10 mm in size when first detected, grew to 14 mm before treatment began, and has now shrunk…
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Labor of Love
I have a saying: “there’s lots of people I don’t want to be.” That’s particularly true when I look around at some of my fellow retirees, who seem to have “stopped.” Stopped caring – yes, but also stopped growing and stopped changing. Change is life and life is change. You know what doesn’t change? Something…
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Carded by Google
After writing the other day about how I’m getting older, it would seem I had it all wrong. I’m Benjamin Button-ing before my very eyes! It started innocently enough. Google frightens me. That said, I do use it, first and foremost as a search tool that dramatically speeds up my research into the various things…
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Golden Years
In a few months, I will turn 60. 60 !! It is already weighing on me. I breezed through the other life milestones without giving their significance much thought because my mind was elsewhere. At 40 I was too busy having the mid-life crisis that landed me in a wheelchair to have a proper mid-life…
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A plug for Matt
Modern life is nothing less than amazing. Take a look around the room you’re sat in right now. You are surrounded by more technology than accompanied Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins to the moon! I think that is remarkable. But one thing that is undeniable is these wonderous things which make our lives…
Your mileage may vary.