Today, I rest. No lists, no laundry, no running, no cooking, no business. I sit, I lie, I read a book. I put things away. My scattered mind considers the sky. On this year away, I have not yet taken a day of rest. I have been either in motion, …
I’m running out of items on my list for what to do with a year. Usually I’m a great list generator and I cross off items with great joy. On return from my 4-month drive, I drafted a new list for fixing, sorting, and disposing. I consolidated all my lists …
A resident visits tourist sites mostly on the first two weeks and last two weeks of residency. You either explore a little at the beginning or race to see everything before you leave. Pretending to move in a month, I’m trying to see all of San Francisco’s remaining sites. This …
I spend a lazy morning in bed cataloging and deleting the seven hundred or so photos on my phone. Some pictures are accidental blanks, others shots of dinner. I gaze at three years of adventures and memories. Many pictures are of myself, more often than not in front of the …
Monday morning, I drive Ruben to work at his Sacramento State campus. I pick him up in the afternoon when he finishes lecturing. Once back at his apartment, I sew a spiked cube while he prepares tomorrow’s class notes. We cook an early dinner. In the evening, I drive Ruben …
I retreat to the calm of Sacramento. During my working years, I would visit Ruben in Sacramento about every two months but just for the weekend. Now I have the leisure to stay off-peak during the week. I arrive in Sacramento. Ruben and I pick up happy domesticity. I drive …
I am working on new skills. I am working on old skills. I spend much of my day practicing sitting, walking, and lying down. I wasn’t born with bones set in the right positions. Congested muscles scrape against bones, fighting for limited space so I have a shambling gait, awkward …
As I become more creative this year, I’m learning that creativity requires two different skills. The first part, conception, is the well-known spark of a new idea or the clever combination of two existing ideas. However, creativity is more than a good idea. The second part, execution, is the engineering …
The autumn season typically heralds a return to sobriety and realness. Summer hedonism yields to fall’s rhythm of scholastic study and harvest. After four months of cross-country travel followed by two fantastical weeks in the desert, I sequester myself to sift, sort, contemplate, and throw out. I have been spooling …
Tuesday afternoon, I saw a 4:45pm movie at the Sundance Kabuki Theater. Although seats were assigned, only six of us sat for the matinee screening. I was the only one under 60. The cute pair of ladies next to me leaned over to ask, “Young man, would you like our …