Summertime, and the livin’ actually is pretty easy. Fish are jumping somewhere. And the cotton is doubtless high somewhere else, probably near Bakersfield, a semi-desert in the southern part of California where such water-intensive crops should not be grown. But that is beside the point. The point is that I expect to wake up in the morning hearing that totalitarian forces have seized control of the nation. Many around me consider this fear misplaced, or at least, excessive. I don’t. Vigilance Read more [...]

The roar was intolerable, a decibel level that OSHA would probably deem illegal…and that’s just what it’s like being crammed into a ballroom at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in support of gun control. And it was worth it, extroversion overload and all. Hillary Clinton spoke passionately in favor of getting weapons out of the hands of loonies. She always has. No, she’s not as in touch with the nation’s economic sickness as, say, Bernie Sanders. But she has her points. I like her. She spoke without Read more [...]

I keep waking at 4 AM with a stuffy nose. Problem is, I keep staying awake at 4 AM with a stuffy nose. Which makes the ensuing day rather stuffy as well. In other words, we need all the unblocking we can manage. But that’s okay. I am saving my strength. For what? For Hillary Clinton. We hear her speak tonight in San Francisco on behalf of gun control. As a shooting victim, this topic is of persistent concern. Gabby Giffords doubtless will also say a few words. Very few, as she is still recovering Read more [...]

Still being in the recovery stage from a five week trip, I am trying to avoid falling into habitual patterns, steering clear of potential ruts. And, incredibly, I am trying to take it easy. The latter being a somewhat foreign concept. While, it must be said, pouring on the neuromuscular steam when required. Which explains why I fairly leapt upon the exercycle again this very morning. And off I was, pedaling to rousing schmaltz, and determined to get close to my aerobic and muscular capacities. Which, Read more [...]

The first, and most sobering, discovery upon returning to planet Earth, vis-à-vis, coming home after five weeks in Europe, involves my body. At 71, things aren’t what they used to be. I got on the exercycle for the first time in five weeks and collided rather forcefully with physiology. My legs are stiff. My stamina depleted. It’s going to be an uphill road. And then there is the stuff. Five weeks of unopened mail. Several square yards of urban agriculture in disarray. And all the things I thought Read more [...]

When I look down at my wheelchair control, I can see a periodic jittering. Now and then the control arm shudders. There’s a rhythm to it. And although I can piece together what it is, what astounds me is how it works. Or that it works. To get the best explanation, I should really go down to deck 2 and get a good look at the Queen Mary II. The ship has small wings near the bow. They rotate up and down like the aileron of an aircraft. These little winglets are actually stabilizers. Sensors anticipate Read more [...]