Matthew's Blog
My Yearly Reread: Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style
I have several books which I reread at least once a year. These are books that I want to make part of me. My favorite? The Elements of Style, by William Strunk and E.B. White. Just consider two of the directives in the first chapter ( and this book gives directives,...
Why I Don’t Pilot 777s
Whenever I fly from London to Seattle, I usually end up on a British Airways Boeing 777. The flights are for the most part uneventful, but invariably about three-quarters of the way over the Atlantic, we usually experiences some turbulence. I dislike turbulence, so...
Reaching for the Stars—My Writing Motivation
At my desk I have a print called Reaching for the Stars, created by the artist Marvin Oliver. Isn’t that Raven, stealing the box of light from the chief and delivering it to the black sky (giving us the sun, moon, stars, and planets), a tricky little thing? Anyway,...
Rocks In Water Haiku
Rocks wearing away Water relentlessly flows With its sparkling. I clearly remember taking this photo about 4 years ago, up in the mountains, on a cool, clear morning. Isn't it odd how a camera and a few words can capture a moment in time?
Two Washington States + One Covid—A Deadly Ménage à Trois
Take a look at the Washington State maps above. The map on the left shows the total number of vaccines by county within Washington State. Note the high number of vaccinations in King County region (by far the most populous county) compared to Eastern Washington...
Finding Your Creative Lobster
In a discussion on spirituality, the philosopher and poet John O’Donohue translated a Gaelic expression of the Irish fishermen “Is fánach an áit a gheobfá gliomach” into: "'It is in the unexpected or neglected place that you will find the lobster.'" Although intended...
The 130-Hour Work-Week?
There has recently been some mild controversy in the investment banking community about the role of the 130-hour work-week for their junior employees, with some of the old guard thinking this is just fine—based, I believe, on the principle “I did it, so you should...
Deciding vs. Committing
Etymologically, a decision is: A noun of action from past-participle stem of decidere "to decide, determine," literally "to cut off," from de "off" (see de-) + caedere "to cut."etymologyonline.com Whereas a commitment, based on the word commit, means: "To give in...
Sundial Haiku
Nature’s first sundial, Winter beach o’clock: p.m. This tree is now dead.