Suprise Me

I can't think of one fairy tale that is my favorite, but here are two that have special meaning to me for different reasons. Read More

The manicure station is close to the door leading to and from the main lobby, and it’s always fun to sit and watch the steady stream of fit figures come and go. Read More

The trees, bushes and brush would give me plenty of privacy to do what I needed to do. Read More

My mom was a wonderful mother in many ways – patient, modest, innately kind — but she was not a particularly good cook. “Oh, I was a boring cook,” she admitted once when she was in her 70s and taking her meals in the dining room at Leisure World, the retirement facility where she and… Read More

When the dial-up age of the Internet morphed into the Wi-Fi age, most of us breathed a huge sigh of relief. Read More

I’m handy. I began early, learned how to use hand tools from my father, a hands-on electrical engineer who designed and built prototype instruments to measure outcomes of physics and biology research projects. I’ve constructed everything from mercury barometers to mine shafts to cherry wood cabinets, from stage sets and circus rings to birch plywood… Read More

Freshman year spring term.  As Dickens opened A Tale of Two Cities, the best of times and the worst of times.  The best because academic diligence took a holiday and I rather enjoyed myself.  The worst because, well, academic diligence took a holiday.  Another Harvard “Hum” course, this one Hum 75, German culture.  All readings… Read More

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You can see a great distance from the Great Wall of China at Mutianyu.  The view is quite spectacular as it winds along the crests of the mountains, rolling up and down with the terrain; the wide path at the top of the wall turns into irregular stairsteps to accommodate the undulations and is punctuated… Read More

    Here are some variations on that old canard ‘Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery’ – Imitation is the sincerest form of mockery – Imitation is the cheapest form of creativity – Imitation is the easiest form of learning – Imitation is the highest form of praise – Imitation is the lowest form… Read More