Today is Saturday. In truth a beautiful day, as days go. Sunny and warm, but not hot… there are several yard sales going on in the neighborhood, kind of like trying to get back into a quasi-normal lifestyle. But, no… I decided not to buy any more yards, since the one I already have is really giving me a run for my money trying to keep the grass down and the flowers up.   Memorial Day is here and, as usual, many people are gearing up to having their barbeque ready for a cookout sometime during the three days. Most will give a passing thought to the reason for the holiday; some will take time and reflect on this and some, will only think of the hamburgers and/or chicken legs. War is hell, somebody said wisely at some point. I am a veteran circa Viet Nam but was never on the front lines, shooting or being shot at. My closest work to this was being the point man on the riot control squad. We were involved in some minor action(s), since I was stationed on land that was considered th...

  NOTE FROM THE “EDITOR-IN-CHIEF”. (also known as the the loud guy, janitor, gofer and overall do-it-all person) As a language tutor, it is indeed my privilege to get to know my students fairly well, for most of the classes are on a one-on-one basis and it gives us ample face to face time. Also, some have been with me in one way or another or some time, so there is a friendly and trusting rapport which is established along the way. This, in turn leads the classes into occasional moments of quiet conversation or even guidance efforts ( no, I am not a psychologist, just an old guy with a lot of years of people management experience ) and with all the needed “caveats” in place, we talk. This was the case this morning, in an individual class. I shared this in the school’s FB page and thought that it might be worth an inclusion in this hallowed ( not “hollowed” ) blog. THE PRIVILEGE OF MAKING DECISIONS. Very often we come to think, when a decision taken in best interests does not ...

  There was this doctor I came to know while living in Chile for a year of Sundays, back in the 1980’s. That stay has been explored elsewhere in these meanderings, so I will just talk about the doctor, whom I will call Patricio (a good, solid name and not uncommon in Chile ). He was a general practitioner and, as such, had been well recommended to us by a common friend. This turned out to be a good recommendation for he not only became our doctor, but eventually we struck a friendship with him and his family. After some visits to his office, followed by the eventual striking of a friendly banter relationship, one day Patricio called me and asked whether we would like to come to their home for dinner with him and his wife. This was a way to formalize the friendship, as it were, for in Chile back then ( God Lord, I’m beginning to sound like an old man… Don’t you say a word!! ) society was managed by certain protocols; home invitations, when extended, were indicative of a desire to...

  It has been some time since I last sat by the water at Wally’s Pond. For those of you who have not been to Wally’s Pond before ( actually, you have all been invited … you just haven’t joined me ), let me tell you that it is a placid, tranquil place where the water is clean and clear, the birds chirp, there are no outside noises, and it never rains. And in case you have not guessed it, this wonderful place is in my mind, the place where I sometimes manage to hide for a little while from all the unwanted events that are happening around me. And God only knows there have been plenty of those in the last few months. At my age, it is an achievement of sorts to be able to get by without any medications at all. Or so the doctors tell me. Blood pressure, heartbeat, oxygen count … check. Cholesterol, a tad high … not enough to worry about it. Weight … being managed. Yes, a few too many apple pies with ice cream, but, hey … if we have to go down, let’s enjoy it!!   The only way al...

  Today is a sunny and cold day in January… I sit here to write a post and frankly, there are no ideas floating in my headspace or, for that matter, in cyberspace. I look and listen to the sounds around me and these bring no help. I don’t know whether to write about a sometime ago memory from my past, like those memories which were the beginning of these posts, or to write about what is happening in this crazy world of ours …   Sometime later in the day… Hmmm… this attempt at writing a posting began some 8 hours ago and I can’t say it got very far. In fact, it got nowhere…   So, what do you say to exploring an almost forgotten moment ( probably an intentional subliminal erasure attempt ) … London, spring 2002 or thereabouts. I had been there, stuck, for some three months. And when I say “stuck”, take it at face value. The transaction we had worked on and hoped would come about, failed to materialize like many others in this long, drawn out affair. I had just come ou...

  As those of you who have been with me since the beginning of this somewhat currently derailed journey know, my arrival in this country at age 15 was due to an abysmal change of fortune in my home country, Cuba. You also know I have mostly stayed away from politics in these posts. What happened there and the ensuing and ongoing disaster, can only be understood if you have lived through a forced transition like that. Once the Castro govt. was fully in charge, then began the abuses and the intolerance to all who dared express an opinion not favorable to said government. Jail was the least of the problems, to this one had to add loss of jobs to your family, being publicly ostracized, beatings by random assailants, possible death once jailed, being forced out of your own home, and the list goes on. Roll forward 60 years. We have just gone through a most shameful excuse for an election in this, our adopted country. Today (1/20/2021) a new president-non-elect was inaugurated. Someda...

  This post is actually taken from my company’s FB page, where a paid boost was denied. I read it again and again and couldn’t really find what the “infraction” was, so I let it go without changes, or boost. When editing becomes blatant censorship based on one individual’s interpretation of understandings, freedom of speech goes out the door. These are the rules supposedly broken by the piece, which is really a year end note and a wish for a better new year… “ Policy Ads must not contain content that asserts or implies personal attributes. This includes direct or indirect assertions or implications about a person’s race, ethnic origin, religion, beliefs, age, sexual orientation or practices, gender identity, disability, medical condition (including physical or mental health), financial status, voting status, membership in a trade union, criminal record, or name.” And here is the post. THE END OF A SINGULAR YEAR. We are but two days away from turning the page on the year...