Off to work this morning, that is to say, with Jane about to hit the pulpit, we had a long overdue discussion about hearing. Mine isn't what it was. And to put a finer point on this, I'm not sure that I'm missing sounds as much as slowing down in their interpretation. I don't know. And, yes, this is worth googling, but whatever the answer, there is an inescapable fact. I am getting older. And as for hearing, mind you this is a fairly subtle matter. I suspect this is a more advanced version of the Read more [...]

El Cerrito…I just looked this up…means little hill, which proves absolutely nothing except that place names are instantly obsolete. No one there is thinking about hills, including me. I was thinking about what it is to be 73 and riding public transit to get to lunch. Is it worth it, of course…one consideration. And what sort of world does an old man experience? The more useful perspective is in my case absolutely existential. I might have missed all this, injured as I was early and near fatally. Read more [...]

She had on a form-fitting pantsuit, white and decorated here and there with something flashy, perhaps rhinestones. Her glasses were of the larger than life variety, her hair piled accordingly. In short, she wasn't very San Francisco looking. More Grand Old Opry or Las Vegas. No, there was something quite conspicuous about this woman on our street. But I understood instantly. It was a Tuesday, the second of the month, which means street cleaning here on the lower slopes of Twin Peaks. It also Read more [...]