Past Tense

Did you know that it is about as long between today and the bombing of Pearl Harbor as between the bombing and the start of the Civil War? I’ve collected a few other “midpoint” juxtapositions that, at least for me illustrate a tension between the past and my perception of the past. Thus, Past Tense.

Nov 9, 1984

Definitely not whimsical. I wrote the first draft of this perhaps ten years ago and it reflects, as well as I could in hindsight, the funhouse mirror of my mind at 21. It wasn’t pretty. But if you love someone who is depressed, this might help you understand just a little bit better. If you are depressed, maybe it will give you a little bit of hope. For what it’s worth, I have not felt this way in decades.

Friends Lie

The really good ones do anyway.

The Faithful Couple

Love. A little about us. A little about them. A little about nobody I actually know. A little about some trees I care about.

Curriculum Vitae

Some simple things are easy to learn. Some simple things are hard.

Improved Roads

When we “improve” a road, what exactly are we improving?This is a reflection on improving roads, both actual and metaphorical, in Death Valley and Yosemite and the slow loss of “natural” places with every “improvement.”

The Last-Straw Ratchet

Camel pulling overloaded cart

We have good camels in our caravan. Maybe not great, but good. But then we pile on too much, so the good camels leave and get replaced by slightly worse camels and we ratchet down, because too many camel drivers think their job is to make the camels adjust to the load, when usually their job is to adjust the load to the camels.

Farmers and Miners

A farmer works the land for generations and, if careful, the land is worth more with each passing year. A miner extracts what he can from the land and, when done, it’s worthless. Most business people are either farmers or miners and we need both. The problem is miners who mistake themselves for farmers.