Musings
Many people keep a web log (or if you prefer the slang, a blog). Although I'm not a very private person, I do not care to make entries for minor daily occurences in my life and then publish them. Not only am I not good at maintaining such a habit, I've never found it very interesting to write in a diary. However, a web log can be whatever style one prefers
With that in mind, my web log entries are usually about things I have been musing. I will experience or encounter something and then begin to consider it, to muse over it. In the past I would share these musings with my friend Richard Stringer, but he died last year after Hurricane Katrina destroyed our home town of New Orleans. I have been frustrated since I've had no one with which to share these musings. So, I decided to do so in a web log. They are primarily for my own benefit, but may be of interest to others. Below are the opening lines of my last ten web log entries. Click on the heading of a particular entry to read its full text.
A few weeks ago I couldn’t suffer Facebook any longer. I thought to deactivate it again, but knew I’d give in later and reactivate it. So this time I deleted all of my contacts. According to Facebook, I now have no friends. It’s kind of a neat thing to say.
posted: june 27, 2012 ; readers: ;
category:
personal
Sometimes I think of returning to the U.S. or moving to another country. But after having lived in Italy so long, I don’t feel like I can fit in anywhere. I’m not content in Italy and am frustrated when I’m in the U.S. I wonder what’s to become of me.
posted: june 27, 2011 ; readers: 34 ;
category:
italy
Since I’m not a morning person, mornings are the worst times of my days. Living without a girlfriend makes them even more difficult.
posted: may 31, 2011 ; readers: 13 ;
category:
personal
Because of a feeling of loss lately, I’ve been watching episodes of the television series, Without a Trace. It stems out of a desire to return home, wherever that might be. It’s a complicated set of emotions, but I find some comfort in watching the show.
posted: may 23, 2011 ; readers: 23 ;
category:
personal
Enjoyng simple comfort foods when I’m feeling a bit down can be difficult for me in Milan. I look for comfort food when I’m feeling stressed. Unable to get exactly what I need, but something somewhat close to what I can get so easily in the U.S., doesn’t always comfort me but frustrates me more instead. Although life’s getting easier for me, it’s not always easy living in Milan.
posted: april 4, 2010 ; readers: 15 ;
category:
italy
A burglar is a person who breaks into someone’s home. It’s a perfectly good word, albeit one that may be difficult for some people to say. Perhaps because it’s difficult to pronunce, a substitute word is becoming popular among Americans: home invaders. I heard it for the first time on a television show a few weeks ago and again more recently. While the word home invader may be sufficiently accurate, it bothers me. Is this where the English language is heading? Will English become simpler and less artistic? I find that irritating and depressing.
posted: december 13, 2009 ; readers: 10 ;
category:
Although it may seem contradictory, I enjoy moving and I have a inordinately strong need for a stable home. Most people dread moving. They hate the disruption. Whereas, I enjoy it immensely. While this first part seems strange to most people, the second part confuses people less: I become very upset when my home is threatened. This seems to be contradictory to my love of moving. A thought occurred to me recently, that reconciles the two attitudes: I'm a settler.
posted: december 7, 2009 ; readers: 8 ;
category:
personal
Despite being intelligent and self-aware, I sometimes copy the behavior or expressions of others. I don't do this intentionally. I don't observe someone doing something and think that it's an interesting way to act. In fact, some mannerisms that I mimic, I don't particular like. However, I adopt their ways all the same. It's frustrating to me at times.
posted: october 15, 2009 ; readers: 8 ;
category:
personal
Losing my father when I was a boy was not fully within my comprehension. For years I expected him to return. I feel that way sometimes after a relationship with a woman has ended.
posted: october 27, 2008 ; readers: 8 ;
category:
personal
I've been struggling over the last few years to achieve a sense of home. Over the last few years I've been accumulating furniture and other household items to give my apartment a feeling of completeness. I think I've finally found a combination that gives me comfort to sleep by.
posted: september 23, 2008 ; readers: 11 ;
category:
personal
