Category Archives: Original Writing

Pay Me Now or Pay Me Later

From the “No Good Deed Goes Unpunished” department — last year I leased a hybrid car. My original motivation was because it has all the latest safety features, an important consideration as I age and my reflexes decline. But the nicest advantage is the fuel economy; I got over 57 miles to the gallon on

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Runners’ Low

All of my friends know I run as a sport. It’s an integral part of my life, as it is for many other people. But the sport has an ugly side that is always present, but doesn’t always get the attention it deserves. I remember running with friends after work along the Santa Ana River

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Orange is the New Pink & Green

I spent a nice weekend visiting my niece who started her post-high school education this fall at Syracuse University. While visiting, I began to wonder why SU’s nickname is “The Orange”. Syracuse University was founded in 1870. The first official colors in 1872 were pea green and rose pink.  In 1873 the student consensus was

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Making Fictional Characters Real

Which fictional literary character had his obituary published in the New York Times? I’m thinking of Agatha Christie’s detective Hercule Poirot, whose death was announced on August 6, 1975 (https://www.nytimes.com/1975/08/06/archives/hercule-poirot-is-dead-famed-belgian-detective-hercule-poirot-the.html). Although very popular with readers, Dame Christie found her creation “insufferable and an egocentric creep.” The result was the book Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case. Time

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Remembering Molly Ivins

August 30 was the birthday of Molly Ivins (1944-2007), a favorite journalist/humorist of mine. Among her musings is “The thing about democracy, beloveds, is that it is not neat, orderly, or quiet. It requires a certain relish for confusion.”  She was born in Monterey, California, but raised in Houston, Texas; her adopted state provided plenty

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