The kingdom where nobody dies
I am grieving, and I assume I’ll be doing that for a long time, probably to some extent for the rest of my life. I often get the urge to write and write and write about losing Gerard, but I … Continue reading →
Category Archives: Getting philosophical: life, love, the universe
Gerard Vanderleun’s obituary: on loss and memory
Here’s the link to Gerard’s obituary. It’s not particularly long, considering how much he did in his life. And of course, like most obituaries, it doesn’t really convey the person himself in all his complexity and energy and vitality. Gerard’s … Continue reading →
Chatbots Gone Wild – haven’t we already seen a movie about this?
Or maybe several movies? It’s not very reassuring: In a blog post Wednesday night, Bing said it was working to fix the confusing answers and aggressive tone exhibited by the bot, after tech outlets exposed that the bot gaslights and … Continue reading →
Rings are in the news
File under “things we don’t understand”: Astronomers have discovered an entirely new ring system within the solar system, and it’s located at such a great distance from its dwarf planet parent that it should be impossible. The ring surrounds Quaoar, … Continue reading →
Ivan Illych and history
[NOTE: Here’s a repeat of one of my earliest posts, written in my very first year of blogging: May, 2005. Back then I didn’t have all that many readers, so I thought I’d bring it out for another go-round.] I … Continue reading →
Calmly we walk
[NOTE: This is a repeat of a post originally published five years ago. Gerard had made the first comment on the original post, as you can see if you follow that link. “Many great dears are taken away…”] —John Updike: … Continue reading →
When death comes for bloggers
It’s a daily voice, like a friend you talk to on the phone every day. The closest thing to this kind of writing prior to blogging was the daily columnist (when did those go out? or did they ever exist?). … Continue reading →
The theme and variations versus the symphony: on love
[NOTE: First published here in June of 2006.] I try to do about three miles of brisk walking every day for exercise. On rainy or snowy days, I’m off to the gym and its treadmill, which feels like–well, like being … Continue reading →
Gerard Vanderleun: December 26, 1945 – January 27, 2023
Gerard died peacefully in the small hours of the morning. He left instructions to me for two last posts of his that he wanted me to publish on his blog. I will probably do that tomorrow. I also will be … Continue reading →
Reading old letters
My ex-husband saves things. A lot of things. But mostly paper. Old magazines, old newspapers, old medical records, every piece of artwork our son ever created, and old letters. Recently he’s been going through the stacks and trying to weed … Continue reading →
What are you doing New Year’s Eve?
And me? Glad you asked. Nada, zip, zilch. Oh, I might visit a nearby friend for a short while and have a sip of champagne, a tiny toast to the end of 2021, a year I’m pretty sure most people … Continue reading →
Crime and punishment
In connection with the arrest of suspect Bryan Christopher Kohberger yesterday in the Idaho student murders, there was a discussion in the comments of other cases brought to mind, such as that of Leopold and Loeb. That case, which occurred … Continue reading →