Author Archives: sputterpub

Habits

Posted on April 11, 2011 by sputterpub

   My father was a proponent of moderation. He loathed extremism and he dreaded mindless habitual activity. He used to tell me that it was sensible to form good habits, like the custom of turning off lights as you leave a … Continue reading →

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Campfire

Posted on April 8, 2011 by sputterpub

     When I was 43 I backpacked for the last time. I’m sure of that, because the highlight of the trip was its ending. I would have paid a hundred times what I did for that hot shower. Not that … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry | 4 Comments

Body Slang

Posted on April 7, 2011 by sputterpub

Do you look into a person’s eyes when he or she is speaking to you? I rarely do. My attention is drawn to the moving part: the mouth. Oh I’ll check out the cheeks and the chin and the lines … Continue reading →

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Rigmarole

Posted on April 6, 2011 by sputterpub

I was rereading a Nero Wolfe mystery recently, and the word “rigmarole” jumped off the page at me. Every once in awhile that happens; I notice a word in a way I never did before, become curious about it, like … Continue reading →

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Money Love

Posted on April 5, 2011 by sputterpub

I got into the footlocker recently, and found a tattered folder titled “My Poetry.” It contains the first poem I remember writing (published in my third post in this blog, last July) and I smiled to read that I remembered … Continue reading →

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Soup Secrets

Posted on April 4, 2011 by sputterpub

 I am not a good cook. Oh I’m sure I could say that I would be good if I did it more, but that’s empty. There are scads of activities I could vainly predict my own success at, if I … Continue reading →

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Antiprayer

Posted on April 1, 2011 by sputterpub

Allow me disadvantage so I’ll pay attention to my life. Bestow on me a dare, a tiny hassle toss my way; anoint my psyche with adversity. I need a little friction. I can’t sense a passage unabrasive or the slick … Continue reading →

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Three Stupids

Posted on March 31, 2011 by sputterpub

     When I was around 14 years old, I had an idea that has never stopped cracking me up. I was walking along a road in unincorporated Bonita, California with either my buddy Alice or my neighbor Cindy, when the … Continue reading →

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Unified Theory of Fabrication

Posted on March 30, 2011 by sputterpub

     When I was around 50 I encountered Nader Khalili (electronically), and I fell deeply in admiration. I read about his idea for ceramic homes in the Middle East, and how when asked for ways to build on the moon, … Continue reading →

Posted in Universal Design | Leave a comment

Chemistry

Posted on March 29, 2011 by sputterpub

   When I was 15 I took high school chemistry. That’s what college-bound kids did in the 60s; enrolled in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics in that order, the final three years of school. It wasn’t a favorite course but I … Continue reading →

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