http://outerlife.blogsome.com The history of today. Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:41:34 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I’m on a diet, hope to lose 10 pounds. Isn’t everyone? In my case, there’s a slight difference from most, I suspect, in that I don’t need to lose the weight. My BMI is 22, putting me ... http://outerlife.blogsome.com/2007/11/29/even-more-unctuous/ In the criminal world, a protection racket works like this: Goons approach shopkeeper, ball-peen hammers in hand. Goons say it’s a dangerous neighborhood out there, you heard about that shopkeeper whose knee-caps were broken?, and suggest, almost as an aside, ... http://outerlife.blogsome.com/2007/10/11/yes-i-had-to-write-a-check/ “Focus on the Words - Not on the Writer.” (link via Mental Multivitamin) Any essay with that title is sure to get my head nodding, as are words like the following: What matters is the book, and the book has to stand on its own ... http://outerlife.blogsome.com/2007/09/18/favorite-living-writer/ Lately I’ve been on a book buying binge. They’re coming in much faster than I can read them, and I have this thing against shelving unread books, worried that once they’re up there I’ll forget to read them, which ... http://outerlife.blogsome.com/2007/09/11/a-familiar-consistent-and-predictable-story/ My first thought on meeting my new boss was the first thought I imagine everyone had on meeting him: “You don’t see mutton chops much these days.” That was in the early Nineties, a time when men shaved their faces, not ... http://outerlife.blogsome.com/2007/08/20/old-mutton-chops/ In order to maintain my Parenting License, Middle Class, in good standing, each month I shovel a not insignificant portion of my earnings into 429 plans for the future college education of my kids. By “not insignificant,” I mean the amount ... http://outerlife.blogsome.com/2007/08/09/lifelong-learning-endowment/ It was my first job interview in Los Angeles, way back in the Roaring ‘80’s. As I shuffled into the interview room, before I even sat down, the recruiter fixed me with a determined stare, cleared this throat and asked, “Where are you from?” ... http://outerlife.blogsome.com/2007/07/11/sunny-days/ Day’s turning to night as my daughter and I stroll in silence, our conversation having receded with the setting sun, the only sound now the waves crashing just below our feet, wet sand between our toes, lost in our own thoughts. ... http://outerlife.blogsome.com/2007/06/15/the-gloaming/ I like to think I’m entitled to entertain one completely irrational thought each day. What if, instead of electing politicians, we used a random lottery to draft ordinary citizens to serve in every elected office? ... http://outerlife.blogsome.com/2007/06/02/random-election/ I have this contrarian streak. Unlike most contrarians, who say that proudly, I say it as a confession because my contrarianism is a sign of weakness, not strength. When everyone zigs, I instinctively zag, not so much because ... http://outerlife.blogsome.com/2007/05/17/zig-zig/