Author Archives: Mike Deal

Went for a walk at the park yesterday. After quickly growing bored of the manicured lawns I hiked up the hill into the coastal sage. The seasons are backwards here. This time of year is like the end of winter in most places. Dormant, brown, death. The only green, those lucky few who happen toContinue reading “The rain is coming”

So different they are on the outside. They are individuals. They’ve got their own personalities, their own “stuff.” But truthfully, on the inside, I think they’re more the same than different.

“Sometimes people ask if religion and science are not opposed to one another. They are: in the sense that the thumb and fingers of my hand are opposed to one another. It is an opposition by means of which anything can be grasped.” Sir William Bragg, 1915 Noble Prize in Physics Dualities can create. WithContinue reading “A Reminder from Physics”

HELP WANTED:  Employment available for able-bodied ferryperson to navigate the rapids between today and tomorrow.  Must be strong in body and mind.  Ideal candidate will have an understanding that all rivers lead to the ocean and an appreciation for the effect of upriver events on downriver conditions.   Incumbent should be comfortable with few words and long periods of silence,Continue reading “The river”

Teachers leave impressions.  Some impressions are positive, some impressions are negative.  Positive impressions are not necessarily “good”, negative impressions are not necessarily “bad”.  Impressions just are.  When an artist speaks of “negative space” is that space bad? Lately I’ve been thinking about impressions made by my teachers.  These are the voices in my head. Here’s a few that stuck:  “IntroduceContinue reading “Impressions”

Chimes and beeps. Chimes and beeps, reminders that there’s someplace I need to be, another site, another page in this machine. A modern human, a body and mind, the product of 6 million years of evolution. Occasionally a chime or beep. A reminder of a time, but the destination remains a mystery. And that’s whenContinue reading “Chimes and beeps”

Recently I was helping Mikayla review for a math placement test. First off, numbers have never been my strong suit. I can get by (on a good day) and that’s about it. We got to a spot where we were supposed to review subtraction of negative numbers. “Oh boy” I thought, and for a momentContinue reading “Addition by subtraction”

These eyes had not only sight, but vision. Behind these eyes is a brilliant mind. He was said to be inflicted with “moving crust disease and wandering pole plague”. He was accused of “autointoxication and delirious ravings.” His real name was Alfred Wegener. His idea was continental drift. Today we have The Theory of PlateContinue reading “Science is human”

The day will come when I can sit down and listen to the entirety of a half-hour radio show. For now I sip media dropwise as I take care of life. I never get the whole story, just little snippets perfect for rumination. Yesterday’s 5-minute sip was on the way to the feed store; aContinue reading “Cracks and light”