The e-mail notice that my WordPress subscription was about to automatically renew got my attention. That's right I thought ... I used to blog. Spurred on by a curiosity that felt like a green shoot poking its head through the crevice in the concrete, I found the bookmark to Beacons on the Journey that had … Continue reading Where did the year go? →

Sturgis is a small town in western South Dakota with a year round population of around 7,000 people.  It sits on the edge of the Black Hills National Forest where you can find the Mt. Rushmore National Memorial, Devil’s Tower (of Close Encounters fame), Custer State Park and assorted frontier towns like Deadwood where you … Continue reading The Sturgis Diary →

Since starting my new job as Interim Dean, time for blogging has been scarce to non-existent. Here are a couple of items from the pile of random stuff piling up in my brain. Sturgis Motorcycle Rally: My good friend and motorcycle amigo, John, and I are headed out this Friday, 8/2, to check an item … Continue reading Miscellaneous stuff →

I can distinctly remember overhearing a library colleague say that he was celebrating his 15th year at the University of Oregon. This was shortly after my arrival at the UO in Eugene, OR in 1986, and, at the time, it seemed incomprehensible that I would ever arrive at a milestone like that. Thirty three years … Continue reading Goodbye and hello … →

Having established the primacy of SDAC at the heart of the human condition (ha!), I want to move on to the implications. As the drive for self-determination, autonomy and control over one's life asserts itself and as it assumes fundamental importance in the latter stage of life, what happens when it collides with same drive … Continue reading SDAC pt. 2 … (rules to live by) →

As each of us emerged from our mother's womb into the world, taking our first breath of air, beginning a journey that we later come to understand as our lives, we unconsciously began the process of striving for self-determination, autonomy and control. Into a world populated with billions of other people and species, we arrived … Continue reading SDAC … pt. 1 (rules to die by) →

TwitterAvoiding indictment is the new gold standard for presidential behavior? Folks ... the buffoon in chief golfs every four days and spends "executive time" watching TV while barely staying ahead of the law. Can you smell the steaming pile of poo? Mark Watson, Apr 19 Thus far, I haven't used the blog to post political … Continue reading Steaming pile of poo … →

In Batter up part 1, I wrote about the singly most important influence that led to becoming a fan of baseball (my friend Ted Smith). In this post, I will tell you about the activity that has cemented my interest in and love for the game: fantasy baseball. If you are unfamiliar with fantasy sport, … Continue reading Batter up … pt 2 →

"I cannot control the truth of death, whatever my desperation. I can only make certain that those moments of my life I have remaining are as rich as they can be."Drizzt Do'Urden (Icewind Dale Triology, The Halfling's Gem) My enthusiasm for the sport of baseball was not passed down to me by my dad, an … Continue reading Batter up … pt. 1 →

"Beware the engineers of society, I say, who would make everyone in all the world equal. Opportunity should be equal, must be equal, but achievement must remain individual."Drizzt Do'Urden (Icewind Dale Trilogy, Streams of Silver) When I contemplated starting this post with the pregnant phrase, "Marriage is a long and winding road," I realized that … Continue reading Here’s admiring you kid … →