All Posts

  • Office Space

    Office Space

    We’re having some work done at Camp David today, so I’m camping out in the Complimentary Spouse’s office. It’s a corner office on the third floor. Look past the parking lot and you can see the campus swimming pool. That…

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  • A Salute to Rubin Simanoff on Veterans Day

    A Salute to Rubin Simanoff on Veterans Day

    My World War II hero is my grandfather, Technical Sergeant Rubin Simanoff of the 353rd Army Corps of Engineers.  I never met Rubin, but I imagine he was a lot like me: Loud, social, and clever. He loved to chat…

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  • Mary Lou Retina

    Mary Lou Retina

    As the ophthalmologist was preparing me for photocoagulation this afternoon, it took every ounce of restraint in my body to not turn to him and say, “Do you expect me to talk?” That’s because, until today, my only knowledge of…

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  • Bird Lines

    Our neighborhood has looked a bit Hitchcockian since the weather got cool. Large flocks of birds have taken up residence on power lines all over South Tampa. It looks a bit menacing, doesn’t it? I assure you there’s nothing to…

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  • Here Comes the Sun (an Hour Earlier Than Yesterday)

    Daylight Saving Time1 kicked in yesterday, and lots of people seem upset. I’m not one of them. I time my runs with the sunrise, and an earlier start means I won’t be late for work. Ergo, I won’t have to…

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  • Somebody Alert Ed McMahon

    Is there anything more fun than pretending you’ve misheard your other half?1 I do this all the time with the Complimentary Spouse, and he seems to enjoy it. In fact, he’s a good sport and goes along with it. I…

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  • Acceptance, Change, and Me

    I have been thinking lately about how difficult it is to balance radical acceptance and self-growth. It has always been a challenge for me, and I’m willing to bet for many others, because the two concepts seem to have disparate…

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  • Frankly, My Dear …

    Dear Hollywood, Please stop using “from the studio that brought you …” as a selling point when you promote new movies. It’s disingenuous. It’s ludicrous. It’s like EMI telling people they’ll enjoy Iron Maiden’s “Dance of Death” because it comes…

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  • Cults, Myths, and Conspiracies

    On Tuesday, hundreds of Qanon supporters turned out in Dallas1, believing that John F. Kennedy Jr. would return from the dead and dance the batusi with Steve Buscemi.2 Spoiler alert: JFK Jr. didn’t show up. But the bigger picture is…

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  • Meditation Observations

    Meditation Observations

    Today is the 500th day in a row that I’ve meditated. To celebrate, I’d like to share five hundred things I’ve learned: There are infinite ways to meditate: I like guided mindfulness meditation, but there’s no end of things to…

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  • There Is Nothing Either Good or Bad, but Thinking Makes it So

    There Is Nothing Either Good or Bad, but Thinking Makes it So

    I don’t have a successful relationship with self-help books. When I pick one up, it’s either because the name catches my eye — “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck” comes to mind — or I hear about it…

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  • Whimsy in Havana

    Whimsy in Havana

    I wrote a post yesterday about a display of whimsy I discovered in Sarasota. I just realized that I didn’t mention one of the most whimsical places the Complimentary Spouse and I have ever visited: Havana, Cuba. When Americans think…

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