Matthew's Blog
In The River of Twitter, Be Wary of Eddies
Here's the Oxford English Dictionary’s definition of an eddy: ‘The water that by some interruption in its course, runs contrary to the direction of the tide or current’ (Adm. Smyth); a circular motion in water, a small whirlpool. When we professionals (physicians,...
Why I Bought Matching Mickey and Minnie Mouse T-Shirts
Here's my edited version of the opening lines of A Tale of Two Cities with a creativity/consumerist twist: "It is the best of the USA, it is the worst of the USA, it is the age of wisdom, it is the age of foolishness, it is the epoch of belief, it is the epoch of...
Saving Time?
I mentioned in a recent tweet that I loved saving time, or, more specifically, and in the language of emoji, I 💙 saving ⏱! But I can’t save time, can I? All I can do is free up time for doing something (or doing nothing) else. At least for us humans, time only exists...
The Amazingness of a 6 a.m. Zoom!
At 6 a.m. Seattle time, with a french-pressed coffee in hand, I recently took a taster lecture from London's New College of the Humanities via Zoom. The whole experience lasted less than an hour, and involved the following: An introduction to the graduate programs at...
The Art Of A Master-Craftsman
My wife and I recently had our kitchen pendant lights replaced by an electrician, and I had the opportunity to see and hear a master-craftsman at work. (See the end result in the photograph above.) The electrician, who appeared to be in his mid-fifties, was teaching...
Ripple Haiku
Lily pads, rain dropsTwo friends—a morning visitChatting with ripples. Although the photo of the lily is overexposed, I like how the rain drops are creating ripples, all of which will soon hit the lily. Of note, the lily is dependent on the rain; the reverse is not...
One of My Writing Muses
I have two writing muses. One is Yoda: “No. Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.”Yoda. Star Wars:The Empire Strikes Back Here’s a link to the best scene in Star Wars.
Free-Range Idea Creation
One of my favorite foods is my free-range and pasture-raised, organically-fed eggs. Rightly or wrongly, I imagine a brood of healthy chickens running randomly around a field, laying their eggs for my future breakfast. (I may not be totally off the mark here. Check out...
How Many Poems Does It Take?
How many poems does it take for me to say, “I write a little poetry, too.” For me, that number is fifty. Or, more specifically, fifty haiku based on fifty of my black-and-white photos. ( See some of the photos above.) Sure, it’s an arbitrary number, but it is large...