Category Archives: Lessons

Codes & Epigrams

Posted on March 22, 2011 by sputterpub

When I was around 55, I finally figured out that people don’t always mean their words. Some phrases are in fact code. For example, “Hi, how are you?” is seldom an honest inquiry about your health or mood. You’re supposed to … Continue reading →

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The Anticipator

Posted on March 21, 2011 by sputterpub

   When I was 15, the family moved from southern California to the San Francisco bay area, and in the next few years the place exploded with music, drugs, sex, and politics. I was already eccentric and suspected I might … Continue reading →

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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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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 →

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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 →

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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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Utopolis

Posted on February 25, 2011 by sputterpub

  When I was 15 I spent some time with the school debate team. I wasn’t a member but my friends Jim and Tim were, and I helped them prepare for the competitions. The subject that year was nuclear power. It … Continue reading →

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Stupid Pets

Posted on February 24, 2011 by sputterpub

   When I was 5 they gave me the turtle. I don’t remember asking for one. I didn’t name it Myrtle (that was Mom: “Here. Meet Myrtle the Turtle”). I associate the creature’s presence with my terrible tonsillectomy but I also … Continue reading →

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Fruit Cocktail

Posted on February 22, 2011 by sputterpub

     When I was 20 I knew a guy with a weird job. He was a year ahead of me at Cal, part of the group of people I was most likely to socialize with, often around but not an … Continue reading →

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The Best Revenge

Posted on February 18, 2011 by sputterpub

     When I was 54 I was the object of an attempted assassination. It was an attack against my character and it failed, but it rocked me with confusion and pain. I was betrayed by an individual I trusted. Actually … Continue reading →

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