Making Sense Of It All

First, cheers to all my peeps who know and appreciate the downside spectrum of the mid-May Sunday-palooza, which can run the gamut from mildly grating to downright painful. I'd all but forgotten about this newly carved out space due to recent distractions, but then the second Sunday in May rolled around.   I'd done a pretty good job of not thinking much about it this year. I purchased and mailed something to my mother well in advance of the commercial onslaught and didn't get nearly the volume of disingenuous promotions. (Curiously, more than one retail entity, screenshot below, broadened the promotional appeal to encompass a larger population.)  The optimist in me wondered: could the past decade-plus of pushing back on "mom-centric" pro-natalist messaging be getting through? The cynic in me said: with the world's economy under greater pressure they don't want to discriminate against any sales target. Last Friday, though, I was on a short, flat terrain wal...

There's nothing quite so liberating as an open road with unspoiled nature surrounding us. This was my view from the passenger window last Wednesday early evening in the mountain west of the United States. I spent the first 30-something years of my life in a very flat part of the Midwest surrounded by subdivisions, strip malls and stoplights. There was no adventure in going anywhere.  Just more of the same cluttered roadsides interrupted by houses that all seemed to be competing with each other over which could occupy more space on small lots.  We were drinking in this vista on our way from my PT appointment to meet up with some friends who recently moved just a few miles up this road. My better half first became acquainted with them when we each lived elsewhere. The friendship took root after a series of basketball games. My guy's new friends would share some time post-exercise while I was enjoying a quiet Saturday morning, usually blogging. Those were the days when I guarded ...

This is Louis (aka the Sommelier). He's a curious cat who dropped by during a winery visit a few years ago. I fell for him instantly. You see I've always wanted a cat in my life.* I suppose that's because I relate so well to them. They're social when they want to be, but they're equally at ease on their own. They are boundary-setters. Some days they're in your lap yet other days they prefer to be with you at a distance, or not at all. They're boundless energy or completely at rest. I respect their mercurial temperaments. In just about every sense, they're my spirit animals. Hi. I'm PJ. Some may remember me from years gone by. I once wrote solely under a pseudonym. I've since published on a variety of topics using my full name, but in today's fraught world a fully traceable public identity feels riskier than ever. There is no room, no grace for dimension or nuance. When it comes to some forms of expression, I'm not interested in living und...