My iFriend And Me
February 23, 2024
“What! You too? I thought that no one but myself . . .” … More My iFriend And Me
Author: onthemiddlepath
I am a chopper of wood and carrier of water, a keeper of bees, digger of soil, and washer of dishes, but when people ask me "what do you do" I usually satisfy them with "I'm in information technology." If they really want to know, I'll tell them about the decade as a wilderness guide. Some jobs are vocations, some are avocations, but that one was an evocation. I also wrangle pixels and try to herd them into representations of coherent thoughts, which is a provocation. :-)
State of Readiness
February 9, 2024
There have been several studies which suggest, no, that’s too polite, which record the diminishing physical strength of college-age males compared to students of the past. In fact, the Pentagon did a study in 2020 which revealed that 77% of Americans would not qualify for military service due to obesity, drug use, mental and physical … More State of Readiness
Outside The Box
February 2, 2024
My mother liked Norman Vincent Peale, but as a teenager I was of course much too sophisticated to read the copy of “The Power of Positive Thinking” she gifted me one Christmas. I ran across it the other day and had one of those bittersweet “wish I had listened” moments we sometimes have when we … More Outside The Box
Another Run Through The Jungle
January 26, 2024
“Thought I heard a rumblin’; Callin’ to my name; Two hundred million guns are loaded; Satan cries, ‘Take aim!’” – John Fogerty “If you’re gonna fight, fight like you are the third monkey on the ramp to Noah’s ark and it’s starting to rain.” Tim Kennedy, MMA Fighter Monkey fights are brutal, and it’s not … More Another Run Through The Jungle
Wegotcha
January 19, 2024
My old friends Mr. Paul Reed Smith and Mr. Washburn spend more time collecting dust than making music these days, but there was a time when they were busy almost every night. I think every American who ever owned a guitar, whether that instrument was a PRS or an air guitar, has entertained at least a … More Wegotcha
A Walk In The Rain
January 11, 2024
While the big rain fell last Tuesday I stood in the creek and felt the current pulling at my boots. Our little stream is usually a low talker with a soothing voice that invites you to stretch a hammock between two saplings and rest in the shade, but today it was singing a bawdy sea … More A Walk In The Rain
Be It Resolved
December 27, 2023
We’ve made another trip around the sun together since this time last year. Traditionally this is a time to reflect on the past and make resolutions for the future, but I’m reluctant to do that today. January 1st seems like an arbitrary starting point for our next trip around. There’s nothing of terrestrial or even … More Be It Resolved
Twelve More Days
December 20, 2023
Give me at least twelve days of Christmas, and I’m not taking down the decorations on the 26th. That’s Boxing Day, and the Second Day of Christmas, well deserving of a bit of holly and a twinkling light. The number of homes and businesses still decorated during the first week of January tells me I’m … More Twelve More Days
Unpacking Memories
December 15, 2023
Ah, the memories that are summoned this time of year as we unpack the Christmas decorations, the Menorah or the Mishumaa Saba candles. Here is that very odd-looking decoration I made in the fourth grade that my mother kept all those years. It’s always good for a laugh, and sometimes a tear or two. Look … More Unpacking Memories
Codger
December 8, 2023
We were looking at some old vacation photos of a favorite beach where a spectral forest of driftwood, bathed in morning mist, embellished by long shadows cast by the sun slowly rising out of the ocean, invited young and old to explore its mysteries. Every tide offered new discoveries, and every hour of the day … More Codger
Outside The Box 