Comic Relief: Brain Schwag

Dear Gentle Readers, I had a great idea this morning! Well, at least, I hope it’s a great idea. I was thinking about how Hollywood comes out with film merchandise even before the film is released. They partner with Burger King or Pizza Hut or Lego to turn youthful masses into audiences. Interestingly, though, very…

Mother’s Day Memories of a Lost & Found Father

Dear Children of Mothers and/or Fathers (i.e., all of you), My mother Barbara is here from Florida and has been telling me long-ago stories of Beau. This picture is of them at the Taj Mahal in 1965–shortly after I was born. And no, I’m not hidden in a car seat inside the Taj, I’m back…

Stories, not Statistics

Dear Readers, Reluctantly, I retrieved the Sunday New York Times from the front porch this morning. Since Beau died I haven’t much felt like watching television, reading books or the newspapers. I mostly just like to sit  in silence and look out my front window—a bit like an Alzheimer’s disease patient myself. I let my…