Author Archives: sputterpub

The Pump

Posted on March 14, 2011 by sputterpub

  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

Posted on March 11, 2011 by sputterpub

  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 →

Posted in Poetry, Writing | Leave a comment

Calculus

Posted on March 10, 2011 by sputterpub

     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 →

Posted in Lessons, School | Leave a comment

ArcAngle 2

Posted on March 9, 2011 by sputterpub

  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

Posted on March 8, 2011 by sputterpub

     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

Posted on March 7, 2011 by sputterpub

   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 →

Posted in Food, Lessons | Leave a comment

The Lawsuit

Posted on March 4, 2011 by sputterpub

  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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Three Questions

Posted on March 3, 2011 by sputterpub

When I was around 11 I got a black eye by walking into a closed door. It was a dark night and I was sleeping over at my friend Candy’s house. I tried to make a trip to the toilet … Continue reading →

Posted in Question | 2 Comments

ArcAngle 1

Posted on March 2, 2011 by sputterpub

  When I was around 50 I was immersed in Universal Design. As a result of working with Hearth and on UNA (Feb 16 and 17), I began contemplating what our homes require for us to live well: how we … Continue reading →

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Auto Love, Part 2

Posted on March 1, 2011 by sputterpub

     I propose we do some evaluating in terms of the Value of a Statistical Mile Traveled (VSMT). The VSMT is a measurement of the consumption in resources, labor and material of any mile traversed. Often time is factored in … Continue reading →

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