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Opera Night at the Miller House
As I write this, I’m taking a break from cleaning and tidying in preparation to receive company at our home this evening. It’s November Second, but this is a Halloween party of sorts, and a themed one at that: Ariele and I are screening an appropriately spine-tingling opera, Bluebeard’s Castle. This is actually the third… Continue reading
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What is at stake in this election
I’m not in the business of making political predictions anymore. That isn’t to say that I don’t have ideas about what will happen, just that I am too well aware of all the things that might happen. The only thing you stand to gain from making these kinds of predictions is a reputation as a… Continue reading
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The Classics Mindset
The other day – maybe it was yesterday – I was driving Ariele to work, and we were talking about one of my cranky old man traits. By these I mean the features of my personality that make me resemble a stern, inflexible codger, which are also features I’ve possessed since I was at least… Continue reading
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The Little Librarian
This past summer I bought a Little Free Library, nominally as an anniversary present for Ariele. I say “nominally” because she, as a library employee and bona fide Bachelor of Library Science, had long expressed interest in having one; however, the essential function of one of these outdoor boxes is to allow a whole neighborhood… Continue reading
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Depression Posting
The other day, I didn’t feel very well. I had made no progress on my work, and I was distracted by everything that came my way, to say nothing of the things that I sought out to distract myself on purpose. My eyes hurt from looking at screens. I’d drunk too much caffeinated tea and… Continue reading
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From the Files of the Canard Hearsay
The Ancient StageHis mark has faded from the Earth’s account of history, of memory he sangon ancient stages, wood the worse for wear but polished clean, his mark has fadedfrom the memory of generations.The hills that held an ancient stage subsided in the storm, the banners ran like gullsacross the ragged waves, a rustic song… Continue reading
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Late September Thoughts on Baseball
It’s America’s pastime, no matter what anybody says. Baseball is the sport that has always suited my sensibilities, and while I never had much talent for it myself I’ve always kept an eye on it, increasingly so for the past five years. We’re now approaching the end of this year’s regular season and the beginning… Continue reading
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Diptych – Grave of the Fireflies
To celebrate the release of The Boy and the Heron, last winter Ariele and I decided to watch all of the animated features in the Studio Ghibli canon. We revisited old favorites like Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke, and we got to experience a few for the first time, which had eluded us in previous… Continue reading
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Proximity to the Beach
People who know me know that I am not the most outdoorsy sort of person, nor am I the type to spend all his available time at the beach. My hometown and my taste in music aside, a more than ordinary susceptibility to sunburn taught me through bitter, blistering experience to be cautious around large,… Continue reading
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Triangles
(This essay previously appeared on an earlier version of this blog) When I was a junior in high school, I joined my school’s Academic Team. This was an activity that relied upon the ability of myself and my teammates to recall information from our classes faster than our competition could, and to buzz in like… Continue reading
Ink Tea Stone Leaf 