I understand November is National Gratitude Month. I’m not one for gratitudes, at least I don’t think of them that way....
Book Reports, Fairly Odd Parents-Present / 13.07.2022
A Morning Cocktail
I made myself a cocktail this morning. Not to worry, it was a quarter-inch of cold brew with a bit of milk. I sat by our front window in my favorite chair, slowly sipping, and read about Katy Tur’s latest memoir. Her father, Bob, was a mess. I drink Earl Grey in the morning with my oatmeal or Grape Nuts (I alternate every day), half a banana, and some walnuts. I got a good night’s sleep but still felt a little tired, so I changed my morning routine by adding the cocktail. It was a pleasant 15 minutes....
Fairly Odd Parents-Present, Idiosyncratic Celebrations, News Outta My Control / 23.12.2021
Pandemic Holidays
"Damn you, Omicron! You've reduced me to watching the Hallmark Channel!"...
Fairly Odd Parents-Past / 29.11.2021
Fifty Years Is a Long Time
Today marks the 50th anniversary of my mother's death. It's hard to believe it's been that long. I miss her deeply. And I always laugh when I wonder if she'd recognize me if we passed each other on the street. I'm an old guy now. She was 49 when she died. I was 22....
Fairly Odd Parents-Past / 19.11.2021
It Seems Like More Than a Century
Today marks the centennial of my father’s birth, November 19, 1921. He died in 2000. We had a complicated relationship, and I’ve spent a good deal of my life investigating his life to understand why better. He never talked about his childhood. So I had to dig for that information. In the end, I did my best to be a good son and to honor him at the end of his life....
Fairly Odd Parents-Present / 07.11.2021
The Changing of the Socks
We all have out rituals, both communal and individual. With our annual “changing of the clocks” each November, I partake in my autumnal “changing of the socks” formality. I’ve made my life easy. I wear mainly black socks. If I lose one, there are many others to take its place (as long as I continue to have only two feet). And I don’t have to go hunting for that “other” each morning. Cotton in the summer and Smartwool socks in the winter. Yesterday, I rotated my socks. My wool ones went into my sock drawer and my cotton went into a drawer...
Artistic Tendencies / 06.11.2021
I’m in the Flow
[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_video link="https://youtu.be/I_u-Eh3h7Mo"][vc_empty_space height="20px"][vc_column_text]How many of you have experienced “flow,” that feeling of such focused energy you feel when making art, participating in sports, writing, or trying to solve a problem? I have. And I credit it for keeping me sane during some dark political days and throughout the pandemic. Time seems non-existent. One minute you are aware of what you’re doing. And, suddenly, you realize it’s three hours later. Not only is the experience wonderful, the afterglow, that sense of accomplishment, also carries the feeling even after you’ve re-entered the real world. After a...
Fairly Odd Parents-Present / 25.10.2021
It’s Been a While
It's been a while since I wrote a blog post: five years, in fact. Social media took over. But now that I've just redone my website, I thought I'd start posting periodic missives. A lot has happened since I last dropped a blog post. My daughters are now out of college, and I've retired from the Smithsonian. Oh yeah, the pandemic. COVID or no, I'd still be sitting in front of my computer working on posters and writing. Sometimes I find myself sitting here seven days a week. How'd I get it all done when I had a job? Should you...
Fairly Odd Parents-Present / 01.05.2016
The Art of Grocery Shopping
Growing up, my family's grocery shopping was always a major event, something I was forced to endure on a weekly basis. Every Saturday morning my father would comb the newspaper ads for specials. Like the true engineer he was, he mapped his shopping trajectory based on which stores had what deals. We spent the better part of our Saturday going from one market to the next --often four or more. I pushed the cart while he consulted his list. This was not quality father-son time. With a childhood like that, my grocery shopping has morphed into something less time-consuming. And, my...
After the football game my wife and I took our older daughter out to dinner as we usually do on these Saturday evenings. A celebratory meal, certainly not for the prowess of our team, these after-game dinners reinforce the connections we have with our very independent children. With one in college and the other soon to be, we hardly ever see them. We are pre-empty nesters trying to get the hang of our new reality. This time, our younger daughter was entertaining friends at home. We decided on Ethiopian. After dinner, we headed back to the dorm. As we inched our...