I am sure many of you will know what this code is for. I was talking with a friend the other day, and he mentioned he was talking with an elderly couple. They were both in their late seventies. He asked her what the secret was to their loving relationship. She promptly replied, “It’s friends…

I came across this phrase about the artist’s role in our society. I first considered whether I supported this idea and, second, who is an artist. Let’s work backwards and think about what makes an artist, an artist. Applying this label to certain folks who create art is obvious – thus, an artist. But what…

I have a cat problem. In fact, I have two of them—I mean problems and cats. We were catless for about 10 months for the first time in many decades. It was time to jump in again. We found our first cat, aged 2 years, at the local Humane Society. The second cat, aged 6…

As I gained more years of experience, I noticed my short-term memory was becoming less reliable. It started with getting up to go to another room, then forgetting what I went there for. At first, I dismissed the forgetfulness, as not everything is due to growing older. Sometimes, things just happen. Unfortunately, the more it…

I couldn’t help but be aware of how divided we have become. We seem to be breaking up into ever-increasing groups of like-minded people. Then, each group evolves and splits as differences are identified, and a finer screen is needed to hang with like-minded people. The trendline indicates we’ll all be in a group of…

I often felt like an outsider growing up. I never seemed to quite fit in. I always had one or two friends with whom I spent much of my playtime. I never made a big thing of it – I just knew I was a bit different. I didn’t go out on a date until…

I’m guilty of this, and it doesn’t help me change. When my life doesn’t turn out how I expected or wanted, I look around for a scapegoat as the cause of my misfortune. Why not? It places the least demand on me to do better. I remember slipping on a small patch of ice a…

I only need one is an expression I use to help calm myself in certain situations. It started with a trip to downtown. To avoid a longer, more complicated drive, parking costs, and bike lanes, I drove to the start of the LRT (fast rapid transit) line, where parking is free. When I’ve done this…

I look forward to this time of the year – Wrap Time. It is the occasion when my main streaming service gathers together a profile of my listening habits from the prior year – in this case, 2023. It is a long enough time that I don’t consciously impact the results. It was a surprise…

I am reading a couple of books right now. They are way out of my comfort zone and, at times, out of my comprehension. The first book is “On The Origin of Time” by Thomas Hertog. Hertog was a friend and co-worker of Stephen Hawking. It is about Hawking’s letting go of his earlier theories…