Uncategorized – Page 6 – I Dwell In Possibility

Now for Something Completely

There are so many stories. I was on a cruise to the Mexican Riviera, Cabo, Mazatlán, Puerto Vallarta. Two newlywed couples were also on the ship. They happened to be seated for meals at the same table. The way the meals were scheduled, you could choose fixed seating in the different dining rooms, but thereContinue reading “Now for Something Completely”

BACK TO WHEN TOMORROW IS JUST A DREAM AWAY

Part of the effort to prevent democracy and social justice in the US has taken the form of creating a timeless cultural environment. Kurt Andersen in “Evil Geniuses: The Unmaking of America” observes this in detail. Fashions used to change more frequently, as did technology (think electronics and cars), in the latter decades of theContinue reading “BACK TO WHEN TOMORROW IS JUST A DREAM AWAY”

The Attraction/Repulsion of the Taboo

Part 2: He Who Pun Would Pick a Pocket and T’is a Sin to Steal a Pin I recall one of the cases my mother oversaw, when she sat on a state board for educators, involving a junior college professor who was caught breaking into a house to steal furs. He had responded to anContinue reading “The Attraction/Repulsion of the Taboo”

And the Word Is

What ancestor worship, abstract thought, and celebrity have to do literally with the price of beef In the beginning, the word may not have been with God nor was it likely “God,” but at some point words moved out of their parents’ home and took over the human universe. We cannot be sure when itContinue reading “And the Word Is”

The Attraction/Repulsion of the Taboo

Part 1 At a pop-up Don’t Tell Comedy event last Friday night in Culver City, California, comedian Ellen Harrold had a series of jokes about sleeping and dreaming which reached a kind of edgy climax with “the dad dream we’ve all had.” The audience was mostly on the young side. It was BYOB. I wasContinue reading “The Attraction/Repulsion of the Taboo”

Coming Up Short

I intended to be taller but somehow did not quite make it all the way. In my best friend’s wedding I was the best man. I was also the shortest of the groomsmen. At the time it really stood out to me. When I look at the photos it still leaves an impression. Fortunately, heContinue reading “Coming Up Short”

And He Shall Have Music

The rain abated long enough for me to walk back to the dealership for my car. The air was fresh and full of memories, some recent, others remote. I recalled the morning and the names of the service reps, and how the other customers had looked. Mixed with that were memories all along Santa MonicaContinue reading “And He Shall Have Music”

The Myth of Antisocial Intellectuals in Popular Conception and Fictional Characterization

I started watching The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and was immediately aware of a connection between Dr. Moriarty and the common idea of the disaffected nerd. The intellectual takes interest in obscure subjects because of social ineptitude and rejection. He or she pursues solitary hobbies or joins with other quirky types in nerdy interests. TheContinue reading “The Myth of Antisocial Intellectuals in Popular Conception and Fictional Characterization”

The Immorality of Distinction in Human Relationships

In The Pianist, the artist as an exceptional individual stands passively defiant to the lie of the antagonists. His very existence challenges the Big Lie of the Nazis. He is the greatest pianist in the world, a Jew, a member of the outcast and inferior group. Similarly, Polanski himself feels this way about his ownContinue reading “The Immorality of Distinction in Human Relationships”

THE REVERIE ALONE

Since my dad’s passing weekends giveMe leisure more than ever I have knownAnd showed what pleasure one can liveWith reverie alone. Often in naked thought I standBefore the mirror of my mindAnd feel that in itself is grand,And love my genius blind. As options for the bees and birdsBecome few now I take my easeByContinue reading “THE REVERIE ALONE”