This and that.
Some things I hear or see stick with me for a long time. I have thought about this exchange for years. In the film Harvey Jimmy Stewart plays Elwood, an amiable alcoholic who has an invisible 6 foot tall rabbit as a companion. The film and play are perennial favorites for its sweet silliness and gentle philosophy. In the story, Elwood becomes entangled with psychiatrists and a mental institution because of his insistence on the reality of Harvey the Pooka Rabbit . Elwood explains ...
A Marine took his little stepson out to the garage to build a bird house. When they got there they saw a big ugly spider on the work bench. The little boy got scared and took a few steps back. The dad turned around to face him and said quietly, "There are a lot of things around here you can use as a weapon. Pick one up, kill the spider, and get on with your life."
Desertflowers.jpg It is 9:30 AM. The temperature is 92 degrees. It will be 100 degrees by 2 PM. The humidity is 12%. Sometime in the Spring, the pale yellow color of the Winter sunlight turns a richer shade. That is the first sign. Grass begins to grow on its own, very fast if you water it at all. Then you no longer need a jacket or sweater when you go out in the morning. Soon, you start to arrange your activities so you can be someplace with air conditioning ...
Calico 032 copy.jpg 1973. It often takes about twenty years for a new idea to go from the field to the textbook. If your name is on the accepted textbook you can expect to get royalties for a long time. Textbooks average $102 these days. Fifteen percent of $102 makes a nice retirement income as long as your book is still current. Professors say new textbooks are hardly ever justified (surprise). If a new guy comes along and makes a discovery that makes your textbook obsolete ...
1970. The Calico Early Man Archeological Site was ready to go public in a big way. A Gala was planned, guests invited, spirits high. There are pictures from the time, showing smiling faces. It looked as if, even knowing they would face opposition, Louis Leakey, Dee Simpson and the corps of volunteers would establish Calico Man by proving they had his tools. This had happened more than once in Africa, where they found the tools before the bones. Things looked pretty good. Calico 029 copy.jpg ...