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Object Permanence
IntroductionThis post is not about the stage of child development in which objects that are not perceivable are still understood to exist. Rather, I’m examining the peculiar phenomenon of physical...
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Stage Play - They Haven’t Met You
IntroductionWhile driving down my least favorite Bay Area highway, where it always seems to be rush hour, I noticed this billboard:The following stage play is a work of fiction and any resemblance of...
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From the Archives - Typing Tutor Corporate Intrigue!
IntroductionSometimes technical support really lets me down. And then, when I want to gripe about it, who wants to listen? This post, from my archives, recalls an email exchange with tech support that...
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Counterpoint - Shimano and Campy “Design Blunders”
IntroductionAn alert reader sent me an article from “road.cc” magazine that isn’t very recent but is timeless: “Retro: Shimano and Campagnolo’s greatest design blunders.” I found the story interesting...
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Race Report - 2019 Fort Ord CCCX XC MTB
IntroductionOn my road cycling team, we have a tradition of sending around race reports, which detail everything about our races, starting with our goals, the way we tailored our training program to...
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Is It Really Mansplaining?
IntroductionI’ll confess, I’ve been accused of mansplaining. This term has been gaining in popularity since Rebecca Solnit published Men Explain Things to Me, but the act of mansplaining is as old as...
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From the Archives - Latin [Class] Is for Lovers
IntroductionHere’s a sad one, from my archives. Enjoy please enjoy.Latin [Class] is for Lovers – October 19, 1990I just can’t concentrate on my Latin homework anymore. It’s tempting to blame this on...
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Even More Beer Pix - Beck’st-O-Rama!
NOTE: This post is rated R for alcohol references.IntroductionOkay, my last blog post was pretty hifalutin, with all that Latin and the obscure references to Sir Thomas Wyatt’s illicit affair with Anne...
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Ignorance vs. the Internet
IntroductionIt is an article of faith among most modern non-Mennonite Americans that the Internet, with the limitless access to information it puts at our fingertips, is essentially a good thing. I’m...
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Responding to Reader Comments
IntroductionAs described here, my only goal for this blog is to post four times a month. This morning, March 31 with the pressure on, I had no ideas. In desperation, I searched the Internet for prompts...
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From the Archives - Studying French at UC Santa Barbara
IntroductionMy older daughter has been accepted by a number of colleges, among them UC Santa Barbara. I’m tempted to say, in a grave tone, “Don’t do it, kid. You don’t have to go down the same road I...
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More Plumbing for Dummies
IntroductionThis post recounts my third foray into amateur plumbing. Are we talking “heart of darkness” territory? No, more like brain of darkness. But don’t expect a thriller involving a geyser of raw...
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Cycling Spotlight - Stealth Training
IntroductionThe term “stealth training” has been thrown around by bike racers for decades but perhaps hasn’t ever been formally defined. At the risk of diluting the intrigue by getting overly...
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In Defense of Multitasking
IntroductionIt’s pretty widely acknowledged that most of us multitask. At the same time, we’re lately bombarded with warnings about how ineffective and even harmful multitasking is. Neither...
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From the Archives - Drama in Philosophy Class!
IntroductionWhen I was a student at UC Santa Barbara, choosing classes was never easy. The most important requirement of a class was that it fit into my cycling schedule. A two-hour span between...
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Biased Blow-By-Blow - 2019 Tour of California Stage 6
IntroductionSportscasters covering professional cycling have a massive challenge: how to describe the action while continuously biting their tongues. They’re not allowed to bag on dopers, so they have...
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The Truth About Elite College Admissions
IntroductionAbout a year ago in these pages, I posed the question, “Is it harder to get into a top college now?” The answer I gave was essentially “No.” I cited a study by the New York Times, based on...
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Ask an English Major
Dear English Major,Why don’t they call it Literature Major? I mean, it’s not like you’re learning to speak the language or something.Brandy F, Phoenix, AZDear Brandy,That seems like a fair question. Of...
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From the Archives - This Is a Short Story—NOT!
IntroductionWhen I’ve lately searched my archives for an old essay worth posting, it’s felt like I’m down to the absolute dregs. One thing I’m resolute about sparing you are the short stories I wrote...
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A Father’s Day Poem
IntroductionThis is a poem I wrote for my father, but it could apply to many a father—which is more than I can say for all those stupid Father’s Day cards featuring clichés like the hammock, the...
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