Mike Deal

Juan

Yesterday I took a break from the screen to stack some hay. My stack is small, only 4-5 high, but it still gives a guy something to do. The beauty is what the hay does to the mind. Body works, mind wanders. Forward in time, backward in time, remembering acquaintances that were exhaled long agoContinue reading “Juan”

The rain is coming

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”

More the same than different

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.

A Reminder from Physics

“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”

The glorious vocabulary of middle age

Saunter- A young man charges forward with gusto. Always running, if not in body then in mind. Moving forward, climbing the ladder, moving up; he desperately grasps at goals. He “works” his horses and keeps track of miles and time. As middle age sets in he realizes there is only one finish line and we are all guaranteed toContinue reading “The glorious vocabulary of middle age”

The river

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”

Impressions

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”

The mail always comes through. Electronic documents….not so much.

After a morning of trouble shooting-and-missing students tech problems as they tried to submit their labs, I sat down for some lunch and found poetic inspiration. What’s that? What you say? You can’t submit your lab report in the electronic way? Well let me help you, I’m here today. I’m a teacher, a professor, I “know itContinue reading “The mail always comes through. Electronic documents….not so much.”

Chimes and beeps

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”

Addition by subtraction

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”