For years, when the second weekend of May would roll around, I would go with my dad to Indianapolis for the first day of qualifying for the Indy 500. In those days, there were four days of qualifying over two weekends. The cars would go out one at a time and do four laps,...
Public Speaking
A few weeks ago, I got a call from Bob P., the director of the Port of Tulsa (yes, Tulsa, Okla., has a thriving port). They were having a navigation conference, he said. I was getting ready to say “Sure, we’ll have someone there to cover it,” when he continued, “…and I wonder if...
That One Was Just “Spiritual”
What a relief. Turns out we still have five months to go before the end of the world. Harold Camping, who got us all excited thinking last Saturday would be the end, now says May 21 was just a “spiritual” Judgment Day, and the real apocalypse will come October 21. Camping relied on some...
The Great Escape
So often, it turns out so badly for these guys: You see them running on the field, and you know they’re about to be swarmed by several oversized security guys, slammed to the ground, and paraded off the field for the entertainment of the jeering crowd. This guy, though, had some different ideas....
Back To Physical Therapy
Well, my back hasn’t gotten any better since February. OK, it got better, but then on Easter Sunday I went for a run and, halfway through, I suddenly felt the same lower-back seizing that laid me out initially. I was able to finish the run, but it was enough to convince me to get...
Good Old Boys
With all the talk about blasting levees lately, I just had to listen to Randy Newman’s classic album Good Old Boys, with the song Louisiana 1927 today. I first heard this song in 1977, when he came and played at Jesse Hall at Mizzou. None of my friends wanted to go, so I went...
If I had…
Boy, if I had a nickel for each time I’d started a post here and didn’t finish it … well, maybe I wouldn’t be rich, but I’d sure have a nice pocketful of nickels. It’s been an extraordinarily busy last few weeks for me. But there’s light at the end of the tunnel, and...
Looking Back: The First Year
So it’s been a year, more or less, for this blog. Always one for looking back and keeping track, I thought I’d take a moment to highlight some of my favorite posts from the first year, the ones I had the most fun writing, each for a different reason. Think of this as an...
A Birthday Party
I can hear you asking: John, how is it that you, who are so attuned to dates and anniversaries (more examples here and here and here ), how did you let your blog’s first birthday slip by uncelebrated? Excellent question, and thanks for asking. Actually, although I pledge allegiance to the Gregorian calendar —...
A Month, Lost
Yes, it has been more than a month since I last wrote here. The entire month of February didn’t see a single post from me — the first time that’s happened since I started this blog a year ago. And unfortunately, it wasn’t just the keyboard that I neglected last month; my running shoes...