Author Archives: Alec

Taking Action – Or Not – Part 1

Posted on January 15, 2016 by Alec

I often feel that I’m not accomplishing very much. When I was working I made pretty good use of my time because time was a limited resource, and I got a fair amount done. But I still felt that I wasn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Change, Habits, Time Management | Leave a comment

Friends Who Write Books

Posted on January 6, 2016 by Alec

I recently finished reading The Broom of God, by my friend John Bragg. A couple of years ago I’d read a book written by another friend, Bernie’s Bar and Girll, by Marc Rochkind. After reading the second book, I started wondering how … Continue reading →

Posted in Engagement, Relationships | 12 Comments

Eternity is a really long time

Posted on January 3, 2016 by Alec

“Think of a ball of steel as large as the world, and a fly alighting on it once every million years. When the ball of steel is rubbed away by the friction, eternity will not even have begun.” – The … Continue reading →

Posted in Curiosity | 1 Comment

Unlinking from Facebook

Posted on January 1, 2016 by Alec

I’ve decided to unlink my blog from Facebook. I’ve never been very comfortable with knowing that my blog posts will appear on Facebook and I’m now listening to that discomfort. Tanya takes the view that if people don’t want to … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments

What’s in a Voice?

Posted on December 17, 2015 by Alec

In Feburary, 2008, I fell in love with Hope Davis. I’d never met her, never seen her, but I was entranced, seduced by her voice. I was listening to the book Divisadero, by Michael Ondaatje, and while I love Ondaatje’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Poetry Arrived in Search of Me

Posted on November 6, 2015 by Alec

On the recommendation of my friend Marcus, I’ve been reading Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. In the first chapter Gilbert talks about a reclusive poet named Jack Gilbert (no relation). She describes him as a charismatic recluse who could have been famous … Continue reading →

Posted in Engagement | Leave a comment

More on Not-Working

Posted on October 30, 2015 by Alec

I’m still trying to figure out not-working (I’m not ready to call it retirement – see Notes below). We’ve been traveling a lot, which has been great and has allowed me to put off addressing the problem. Travel is easy; it’s self-contained; … Continue reading →

Posted in Engagement, Retirement, Time Management, Travel | 3 Comments

other Desert Cities

Posted on October 28, 2015 by Alec

When we were driving along I-10 past Palm Springs on our way back to Tucson, we saw the best Interstate city sign I’ve ever seen. other Desert Cities. What could be more mysterious and romantic than that? What are those … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel, Vacations | 5 Comments

Travel Thoughts

Posted on October 3, 2015 by Alec

In a review of three books on happiness, Barry Schwartz writes, “Rich people have more life satisfaction than working class people, but no more day-to-day satisfaction.” When I read this, something clicked, not because I’m rich, but because it explained … Continue reading →

Posted in Retirement, Travel | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

La casa de Robert Graves

Posted on July 8, 2015 by Alec

Just outside the cute little town of Deià, with its lovely views of the sea and its many sandy-colored stone buildings, is a house in which the English poet and novelist Robert Graves lived for 52 years. On a sunny day, … Continue reading →

Posted in Engagement, Habits, Travel, Uncategorized, Vacations | Tagged , , | 4 Comments