1 In yards opposite each other on a Texas suburban street were a Ted Cruz and a Beto O’Rourke sign. My wife’s brother fantasized about going out in the middle of the night and switching the signs. But he’d told them about it and so couldn’t act on it. It occurred to me that had […]
Crane in the Clouds—connecting fact and imagination
Up there, in the mist and passing clouds, is a yellow crane: not the bird, but the manmade mechanism whose arm rises as it lifts heavy objects, moves sideways somewhere, then lowers as it deposits them. How can a heavy machine like a crane stay so high and move around with such seeming ease? Mist […]
James Bond and the Errant Shrubs—a friend’s conflicted mission to eliminate a street hazard
My intrepid friend, Neil, likes to read books about intrepid adventurers. Subscribers to this blog have met Neil (not his real name) before in my account of an awkward party. Late one Saturday afternoon last month, he headed to the pub to finish Jack London’s 1903 novel, The Call of the Wild. While talking to […]
Longing—unattainable dreams can come true anyway
I’ve wondered why the Beatles’ “Michelle” lingers in the mind. For one thing, the lyrics aren’t believable. The only French words the singer, Paul McCartney, claims to know are “ma belle” and “Sont les mots qui vont très bien ensemble,” which he goes on to translate as, “These are words that go together well.” a […]
Courage Cells: A Story—one of several short stories
Who would I be if I forgot the teacher who coaxed me past my math phobia, or the time my boss bailed me out and then reamed me out after I got a client into a disastrous investment, or the glowing loveliness of my wife Jane on our wedding day? Memory is identity: I’m the […]
Disability and Censorship—a whimsical but earnest plea for freer communication between disabled people and mainstream society
“Ableism” has been defined as “discrimination in favor of able-bodied people.” Advocates for people with disabilities believe that central to the fight to end ableism is the censorship of words that could cause offense and perpetuate harmful stereotypes. I’m already risking controversy with the phrase “people with disabilities.” Advocates might prefer, instead, “people with physical […]