Nothing like a good ballet school audition to remind you you’re not at the center of the universe. This is not a bad thing. It had already dawned on you years earlier in a classroom full of young ballet hopefuls when you did not get the instructor’s attention you so felt you deserved one afternoon. And … Continue reading Remembering Michael Maule: Important Ballet Lessons for Life
Month: March 2017
I Can’t Twirl Pasta (and other truths): Weekend Vignettes
Whoever coined the ridiculous phrase, You can do whatever you want to do, was dead wrong: I can never be a rocket scientist (not that I wanted to). I do want to twirl pasta skillfully against a spoon and I can't do that, either. Still makes for pretty pictures and good eatin' no matter how it … Continue reading I Can’t Twirl Pasta (and other truths): Weekend Vignettes
Nostalgia and the Shipwrecked Mind: Righting the Boat
Every major social transformation leaves behind a fresh Eden that can serve as the object of somebody’s nostalgia. And the reactionaries of our time have discovered that nostalgia can be a powerful political motivator, perhaps even more powerful than hope. Hopes can be disappointed. Nostalgia is irrefutable.—Mark Lilla Should you doubt that bit of wisdom, … Continue reading Nostalgia and the Shipwrecked Mind: Righting the Boat
Simple Living versus Excess (or How Not to be Insufferable)
It's dang cold in Vermont. Last week's record-breaking warm temperatures were but a tease: we woke up to 2° this morning. Still, I managed to run with Scout on Friday after work in frigid air with a bitter wind in my face (his ears were all aflap). On a positive note, I captured the moment he discovered a … Continue reading Simple Living versus Excess (or How Not to be Insufferable)