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September 11, 2001 happened to all of us who were around then. Each of us processed it, and continues to process it, in our own individual ways. So each of us has our own story about that day and that time. I’m not going to tell you my story, not right now anyway. Instead, I’m going to tell you Jim Warren’s story. Jim can’t tell it himself because ( Read more... )

Notes on Our Late Summer Travels - Part 3
(You'll find Part 1 and Part 2 right below this entry)

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Notes on Our Late Summer Travels - Part 2
(You'll find Part 1 right below this entry)

Jamestown, VirginiaIn many ways, I am a poor student of history, though to quote Monty Python: “I’m getting better.” Honestly, prior to this trip, I wasn’t sure what the significance of Jamestown was or who lived there or when it was that they did whatever they ( Read more... )

Notes on Our Late Summer Travels - Part 1CC and I were on vacation. We’d driven countless miles on twisting, hilly country roads to reach this place. We pulled up to a booth not unlike those on toll roads, paid our fee, and continued on into the park. A few more miles down, we came to the parking lot, which was bustling with traffic. The attendees ( Read more... )

I boarded the L train at Belmont Avenue this morning and sat down next to a chunky young man wearing a Chicago Bulls jersey. One stop later, at Wellington, a woman boarded. She was a little out of breath, probably because there is no escalator at the Wellington station and she’d probably just climbed the stairs. Still, she seemed nimble and ( Read more... )

We all start out ignorant. Some of us stay that way, but most of us move forward from the womb and amass such knowledge as we can. So it was with me ( Read more... )

There are various people in my life with whom I communicate primarily through this journal. As you can see by the date on my last entry, this is the first thing I’ve posted here this year. As the song goes, “…I been one poor correspondent, and I been too, too hard to find, but it doesn’t mean you ain’t been on my mind ( Read more... )

What's this about a crossword? Well, I sent out my annual crossword puzzle the other day (give it till New Year's Eve). Truth be told, I sent them out a little late, so yours may not have arrived yet. But it's also possible that my disorganized file keeping has caused me to mislay or overlook your address, so please don't feel slighted if you haven ( Read more... )

Yes, too terrible for even me to relate in its entirety. Ponder THAT for a moment ( Read more... )