Monthly Archives: March 2011

Irish Coffee

    I think I was 22 when I drank my first, and the site may have been the place that claims to have invented the recipe: the Buena Vista near the Hyde Street cable car turntable in San Francisco. Not that … Continue reading

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ArcAngle 3

When I was in my early 50s, I thought often about how to house people, attractively, cozily, affordably, naturally. As described in the other posts in the “universal design” category, I found it gratifying to contemplate how to build with … Continue reading

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What Goes Around

  When I was 16 I was into poetry and wax-resistant dying and my best friend Ellen, with whom I examined cosmology, world philosophy, and gossip. One of our conclusions then – a private catch-phrase between us – was a modification … Continue reading

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The Pump

  When I was 40 I bought my first house and found the pump. It was my third piece of residential real estate in fact, but the others were acquired with spouses; that creekside cottage was mine-all-mine. The house was … Continue reading

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Kaleidoscope

  When I was almost 54, I glanced out the BART window and was dazzled by sun diamonds. It was a bright winter morning and I was on a train headed to San Francisco. My seat was on the port side, … Continue reading

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Calculus

     When I was 17 I came to Cal. One of the classes I enrolled in first quarter was calculus. I think it fulfilled a Breadth requirement. I signed up with Nick and his friend Steve, who we called Cap’n … Continue reading

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ArcAngle 2

  When I was 47, I helped established a nonprofit (Hearth, Feb 16) and dove into universal design. And once we got into University Neighborhood Apartments (UNA, Feb 17), I spent much time contemplating that structure. UNA was always a tight-space … Continue reading

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Approaching Spring

     When I was around 50 and walking one spring morning, I was amused to encounter a clump of purple wisteria flowers poking like a face through a front yard fence. wisteria blooms pilloried between fence slats face the morning … Continue reading

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Remember the Flan

   When I was 24 I learned the truth about Pyrex. Nick and I were making flan in our Bonita Street apartment when the pan and the misconception came apart. I’d always enjoyed pudding and I’d recently tasted flan. Or creme … Continue reading

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The Lawsuit

  When I was 43 I got sued. It was a surreal situation; the client got in trouble by going against what I recommended, and then contended that I was incompetent. After all, his lawyer charged, if I had been effective … Continue reading

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