A Trip South

crates | March 6, 2010

     I’ve never been on a tour before.  I’ve always looked down on them for some reason.  However,  I’ll be leaving tomorrow night to meet my father in Houston where we will fly down and tour Costa Rica.  Not like the Panama trip a few years ago when we made up our own itinerary and [...]

Some Bad News

crates | January 24, 2010

     Last Thursday (Jan 21)  my father had some chest pain after returning from the store.  It wouldn’t go away,  and soon my father realized that this wasn’t the normal discomfort that he sometimes felt from the acid reflux which he sometimes has.  Then he did something out of character–he asked his next door neighbor to [...]

New Years Resolution and a Peculiar Fondness for Old Useless Things

crates | January 1, 2010

     Recently I was going through my chest-of-drawers in a long-delayed effort to clean them out.   As I sorted through some of the clothes I realized that my entire way of thinking about clothes has changed over the years.  I have always kept any clothes that I had until they literally fell apart or were outgrown.  [...]

Rain and the Imagination

crates | September 6, 2009

     It has been a dry summer here in the Pacific Northwest.  On my walks the voice of the small brook has gradually gotten quieter and quieter as the summer progressed.  I love to listen to it as I have written before, but it has recently become a dim ghost of itself.  First it became a trickle, [...]

Small Triumphs

crates | August 18, 2009

       I had an unusually uplifting experience yesterday–I was able to repair a defective coffee maker!   I purchased the Mr. Coffee back in June, and it has proved to be an excellent coffee brewer.  I have always had a favorable impression with this brand.  We have used it where I work for many years and [...]

Book Buying, How Do I Kick the Habit?

crates | May 7, 2009

I have a bad habit of buying books.  Really it is the only bad habit that of mine that I can think of –unless it is overweening modesty (cough).  The reason this is a problem is that I have no more room for books.  All my bookshelves are full, and I have boxes of books [...]

The City…a Dreamscape.

crates | May 4, 2009

      I just call it the City.  It is a place that I have dreamed about for many years.   Recently the dreams have increased in frequency.
     It is huge, and the central area is old and decaying with crumbling red brick buildings and dark alleys.  It is always night when I visit the decaying inner [...]

Looking for Meaning in the Great Cosmic Dance

crates | April 23, 2009

We are sentient beings. As conscious entities we often look for meaning in what at first appears to be an uncaring universe.  This seems to be the way we are, constantly seeking for meaning that relates to our own lives.
Religion and philosophy are attempts to render meaning to our lives.  People of long ago, living [...]

Moonlight Sonata and Fur Elise: Why Does a Big He-man Like Me Cry When I Hear Them?

crates | April 14, 2009

I admit it.  I’m musically illiterate (also I’m not a big he-man :cough:).  It is not that I do not like music, I do, it is just that I tend to be unconscious of it.  I almost never listen to music on the radio or disc players.  I have two really nice stereo systems and [...]

Comments On Easy Mechanical Tasks Or Why Am I Such A Klutz?

crates | April 2, 2009

In some ways this has been a very frustrating day.  I had to hang around the house today waiting for the delivery of some kitchen appliances (stove, overhead microwave, dishwasher).  I had told the company, Home Depot, that they may have some problems negotiating the very steep, twisting driveway.  I was right, the truck had [...]

"Miscellaneous Information"

FOR A TABLE OF CONTENTS ARRANGED BY SUBJECT CATEGORY, CLICK ON THE SITE MAP LINK. Much of this blog is a way for me to learn more about things that interest me and then share them with others. It is also presented from my own perspective and slant which is, of course, quite idiosyncratic. Feel free to leave comments. :)


About the author

crates

Just an ordinary guy who loves: everything biological, photography, science fiction (SF), books, new ideas, interesting people, life in all its aspects. Ok, you can wake up now...