There’s a lot of great music out there. I’ve had the good fortune to be part of a few bands, on and off, in my life, exposing me to some pretty music-saavy folks. I am largely grateful for the exposure to all kinds of music this has given me, crossing […]
Life
485 posts
**Mettle to Meddle** *By Stephen Sekula* He stepped atop the atoll, was it four years to the day? A little dog set near the shore, a shore that tasted both the ebb and flow of time and waves He spoke of bird, of beak, of barnacle, collected by the shore, […]
Not so long ago, my father asked, “When *was* the last time it rained where you are?” The fact that it hasn’t rained a drop on the peninsula since about April doesn’t surprise me, but always surprises folks from other places. Well, today the long dry spell is broken – […]
I finally heard from Jodi this morning. It’s been eating at me for days, not hearing from her. I know it’s a reflection of my being spoiled with technology, but not talking to her for just three days has really taken its toll on me. Coupled with all the other […]
When I stay up late to work, I usually switch in NPR’s “Day to Day” program. It’s taped earlier in the day, but here on KQED airs late at night. They were reviewing listener letters concerning a piece criticizing extreme religions and also criticizing the behavior of self-labeled “moderate Christians” […]
I usually consider the boundaries of the seasons to be somewhat arbitrary. Winter is my favorite. Starting on December 22, winter comes long after all the feature I associate with it: bone-chilling cold, snow, lots of dead vegetation (or, in the case of California: cool, rain, flourishing vegetation). This year, […]
I stayed up pretty late last night, rearranging the stereo and TV equipment in our living room (I get the “move stuff around” bug whenever Jodi leaves) and watching CSI and “Firefly”. Consequently, I was still sleeping when Jodi rang me from Dublin at 08:30. She and her sister arrived […]
Jodi and her sister have left for Ireland. This is a long-planned trip, one that they’ve dreamt about since they were teenagers. Half of their family hails from Ireland, and this trip offers a chance for relaxation and history. In fact, Jodi’s sister has spent several months assembling geneology information […]
I hate spiders. When I lived in Atherton, as a student, I often woke up in the middle of the night only to see a 1.5-inch long brown, armored spider slowly trekking across the ceiling. Ick. I guess that’s why I am fascinated by them. Our recent acquisition of a […]
Jodi is soon off to Ireland, at the end of the coming week. IN preparation for this, we finally did all our homework and purchased a really high-quality digital camera. We’ve been using older cameras, and camera phones, for our quick photo needs. A beautiful land, rich in history in […]
This is my last full day in Uppsala, a chance to finish out the workshop and then pound the pavement looking at museums, parks, and palaces. This has been an extraordinary trip, both in terms of the wonder of Sweden and the breadth of physics covered at this workshop. My […]
“Are you here for business or personal?” “Business,” I replied. “Sekula . . . is that Finnish?” “Lithuanian,” I said, “Sekulavich”. “Oh ya, that makes sense.” And with that, the passport control officer at Swedish customs waved me through. I found it interesting that my time in Sweden began with […]