Blog
The Joy of Pfizer
Oh yeah, a fresh sweet shot of Pfizer -- straight up, no chaser. Sure, I had to take a 90-minute train ride to find an appointment; I was never happier to commute. And sure, my shoulder was sore the next day -- but what a pleasant pain. I thank all the …
George Floyd and the Protests Heard Across History
I feel something so positive in America. The protests are sparking us back to health. All those voices rising up for justice. The crime was against a black person – as it has been, again and again. But the people gathering are white and black and all …
Women in Tech, Tech in Transition
I wrote this after going to a book release event for Emily Chang’s Brotopia, a book about sexism in Silicon Valley.
There’s something unusual about this evening’s tech event.
Tonight’s gathering is, to be sure, a classic San Francisco …
The ‘Rustic Apple Tart’ (Can Barnes and Noble Survive?)
I love it that the apple tart sold in the Barnes and Noble cafes is called the Rustic Apple Tart.
I also love (unfortunately) the tart itself, in a love-hate kind of way. It’s a soulless glop of industrial sugar-goo that delivers a Mike Tyson body blow …
Who is James Maguire?
You know who I feel disdain for? I feel disdain for writer types, for instance, James Maguire, who write blog posts about themselves on their own site. Clearly, it’s a pathetic self-promotion scheme. It’s craven, it’s shameless, and honestly, it’s a …
The Meaning of Autumn
Stepped outside today and realized…it’s autumn. The summer drifted away with hardly a whisper.
Summer, when it’s here, seems almost stationary. For a moment around July 19 or so, time might stop altogether. September will arrive, we’re sure of it. …
The Red Tide in Florida: What Have We Done?
I felt the deepest dismay on my recent trip to Sanibel Island, in South Florida on the Gulf Coast. We stayed near the water and I was so looking forward to walking down to the beach. That first morning, it was great to see the water and hear the …
Humblebrag: I won an award for my feature writing
I’m delighted to report that I won a 2018 Azbee Award of Excellence in the category of Web Feature Article. (Azbees are awarded by the American Society of Business Publication Editors). My winning article is titled Artificial Intelligence: When Will the …
My Tribe in the Music Store
I like stopping into the music store now and then. There’s a Yamaha electric piano I have a crush on, but for $800 my love is better off unrequited.
It’s always good to check in with the tribe in the music store. They’re my people, the people who …
March for Our Lives in SF – Feelin’ It
[From Saturday, March 24] Gathering for the March in front of SF City Hall. Must admit I’m a tad verklempt at the energy of it all, the young people voicing a higher purpose. Kind of makes you think there might be hope for us after all. That we make …
I turned the corner and there it was….
Yes, San Francisco has a Museum of Ice Cream. No surprise, actually. The city itself has a mellow softness, if not quite a sweetness. I put it on my list for a later adventure.
Nightfall
The sun disappears over the Pacific. Nature is a cathedral. What's our place in it?
The Zen Mountaintop of Transcendent American Consumerism
Clearly, it's the dizzying Zen mountaintop of transcendent American consumerism: the Apple Store on Black Friday. Even for the privilege of talking to clerk about a MacBook, I was told the wait was 35 minutes. In that moment I stared into the …
Life in the Bay Area
Ah, life in the Bay Area: even the coffee shops can be techie in San Francisco and surrounding areas. I was walking down the street in Berkeley and spotted Algorithm Coffee. Perhaps a dude or dudette is dreaming of a start up in there?
Lion, Starring Dev Patel: A Feel-Good Drama
Lion, starring Dev Patel, scored mediocre reviews – a low wattage 69 out of 100 on Metacritic – but I was pleasantly surprised when I saw it. The story starts with a destitute young boy, Saroo, who gets lost and separated from his family in 1980s India, a …
At the SFMOMA — Glorious Stuff
The recently reopened SF Museum of Modern Art is full of treasures. And the building itself is architectural art.
Summer Splendor
At the grocery store. Oh, and I ate before I went -- bought less. Funny how that works. Summer splendor....
Passing by the Tattoo Parlor
An almost Norman Rockwellesque tableau, if the old master painted urban types. A tattoo parlor in downtown San Francisco.
George Saunders on Trump Supporters
George Saunders on Trump supporters, in The New Yorker: An outstanding piece of campaign reporting by Saunders, more commonly known for his fiction. A must read -- balanced and deeply insightful.
Tracks Across America
Riding on Amtrak northward from the Bay Area to Sacramento.
‘The Big Short’ – Great Entertainment from Tragedy
Smart, funny, fast-paced, full of heart, The Big Short offers a social consciousness rarely found in Hollywood films. It also does the nearly impossible by making the intricacies of the 2008 financial crisis understandable for non-economists.
We see …
The Zen of Holiday Airline Travel
Chapter One: Optimism Against the Odds
Early morning, icy rain on the way, waiting to fly from St. Louis to Chicago. Long lines, blank faces. Flight delays. Semi-panic at Gate 19. Gray people, stressed by too much holiday time with family. Privileged …
A small moment of unplanned beauty
I was out walking and saw this small daffodil near the sidewalk (is it actually a daffodil? No idea - I don't know much about flowers. But bear with me.) Such a pristine little portrait of beauty. Fresh and pure. A gorgeous piece of urban nature. And the …