Archives in Category: Things to Ponder

Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

Ben Zimmer

Posted on August 12, 2011

I’d like to extend a personal invitation to Mr. Ben Zimmer to join me under my rock so we can discuss words, their definitions, and their importance. Zimmer is the executive producer of the Visual Thesaurus, an online thesaurus that

 … finish reading Ben Zimmer

See more 10 Minutes in category , | Leave a comment

Under the Rock

Posted on August 11, 2011

I’m here hiding under my rock. (If you read yesterday’s blog, you understand.) I’m waiting for the angst of the current politics to subside and am concentrating on literary things in the meantime.

For the past seven years, I’ve worked

 … finish reading Under the Rock

See more 10 Minutes in category , | Leave a comment

Market Madness

Posted on August 10, 2011

It’s up, it’s down, it’s up again. Oh, no, now it’s down. The stock market has become a yo-yo, and everyone is weighing in on what will happen next.

Yo-yos are simple toys with two components: a spool and

 … finish reading Market Madness

See more 10 Minutes in category | Leave a comment

August Doldrums

Posted on August 8, 2011

“I’m just an early summer gardener,” said a friend of mine a couple months ago. When pressed to explain, she said, “I like planting and watching things grow, but by August when everything is in bloom I’ve had enough. I

 … finish reading August Doldrums

See more 10 Minutes in category , | Leave a comment

Junk Mail

Posted on August 5, 2011

Our snail mail these days is filled with catalogs, flyers, bills and the very occasional card or letter from a friend. These usually occur around birthdays, and I treasure them. But they arrive so infrequently, I’d have no problem seeing

 … finish reading Junk Mail

See more 10 Minutes in category , | Leave a comment

Bulletin Board

Posted on August 3, 2011

I have a sloppy habit of using the door to my office (aka the guest room) as a bulletin board. I’ve done this for years and have no intention of changing. From time to time, I look at the door

 … finish reading Bulletin Board

See more 10 Minutes in category , | Leave a comment

Bad Idea

Posted on August 1, 2011

“You don’t have to sign; it’s under twenty-five dollars,” the supermarket check-out clerk said chirpily. It was as if she were waving me through a border check-point because I looked honest, so she didn’t ask for my passport. Believe me,

 … finish reading Bad Idea

See more 10 Minutes in category , , | Leave a comment

Last Day

Posted on July 29, 2011

Today was my last official day on a job I’ve held for seven years. It’s bittersweet, but then leaving any job where you give your all has the taste of vinegar and honey with a host of memories thrown in

 … finish reading Last Day

See more 10 Minutes in category , , | Leave a comment

Can’t Wait

Posted on June 17, 2011

Years ago, I reveled in the long days of summer when the sun didn’t set in Michigan until almost ten o’clock. It still doesn’t set until then, but I’m less enamored. Why this change?

I’m not sure, except perhaps it’s

 … finish reading Can’t Wait

See more 10 Minutes in category | Leave a comment

Doctor Visit

Posted on June 10, 2011

They’re beginning to feel like part of my regular routine, these quarterly visits with my oncologist. We’ve met for a year now, since my surgery last summer that nobody – doctors, tests, and least of all Earl and me –

 … finish reading Doctor Visit

See more 10 Minutes in category | Leave a comment