There is a new mountain bike trail near us that is “bench cut”—meaning that on one side of the trail, the ground rises steeply, and on the other side, it falls away, almost like a cliff. The trail is not hard, but the cost of failure is high. I know this not because I ride…

When I drive my wife’s car, the car and I end up in an argument. Her car has a system that attempts to push you back into your lane if you are drifting out of it without signaling. The car’s estimation of when I am leaving my lane does not align with mine, and the…

I recently had surgery to reattach the retina in my left eye. There’s no way to be certain how it detached, but it had been getting worse in stages for a while. I just noticed problems with my vision recently, but once the eye doctor saw it, things shifted into high gear. Post-op, I was…

A farmer had a plow horse. One day, it broke through the fence and ran away. His neighbors lamented his bad luck. “Bad luck, good luck, who knows?” said the farmer. Soon the horse returned with several other horses. His neighbors lauded his good luck. “Good luck, bad luck, who knows?” said the farmer. While…

We are contemplating moving to a new house. The kids are gone, our needs are different, and it may just be time for a change. In anticipation of this, we have talked about cleaning out. We are likely to move to a smaller house, and our plethora of stuff may not fit. I say, “talked…

I love to cook (and eat), and if I’m cooking for myself or someone I care about, my favorite thing is to create a dish from the ingredients on hand. I love the challenge of using the formulas that work (cooking is chemistry after all) with unique combinations of ingredients. The results can be fantastic,…

Recently, there was an estate sale down the street from my house. When my wife and I were still in college, we frequently shopped thrift stores, garage sales, and estate sales, but these days, we rarely even glance as we go by. This one was walking distance from our house, so we strolled down to…

I’m 60 (I actually turned 61 Saturday). Turns out, that is a magic number. Medical and scientific research shows that significant molecular and microbe changes occur around the age of 60. The biggest changes are related to cardiovascular disease, immune regulation, kidney function, carbohydrate and caffeine metabolism, and skin and muscle. Most of these changes look and…

Einstein once described taking flying lessons to a group of students. He explained that the instructor told him that if there was a crosswind, piloting directly toward the desired point would cause drifting, leading you to end up somewhere downwind. To land where you intended, you must pilot toward a point upwind from that spot.…

Off and on until as late 1971, US currency was convertible to gold on demand. This was the “gold standard,” meaning you could trade your paper money for actual gold, making it representative money. President Nixon officially ended international convertibility of the U.S. dollar to gold on August 15, 1971. Since then, US currency is…