Author Archives: JMN

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About JMN

I live in Texas and devote much of my time to easel painting on an amateur basis. I stream a lot of music, mostly jazz, throughout the day. I like to read and memorize poetry.

Don’t Worry: An Original Poem

Posted on September 13, 2019 by JMN

It’s said worrying about the future is paying interest on a debt not owed. Yet, who worries about the past? The essence of worry is that it targets the unhappened. Do not worry about Bahamians in Dorian’s path. Their flesh … Continue reading →

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Sashaying Words

Posted on September 9, 2019 by JMN

As a linguist I collect jargon from exotic domains such as counterpoint, quantum mechanics, cricket — and now, children’s drag. The topic has surfaced in a current article by Alice Hines: “Sashaying Their Way Through Youth,” NYTimes, 9-8-19. I’m currently … Continue reading →

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Nearly Inexplicable Love

Posted on September 9, 2019 by JMN

I used to think that her Professional Texan act was just that, but I see now that it was also a way to show that we Texans were all in it together, and that the things that united us — … Continue reading →

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Arcadia for Straw

Posted on September 9, 2019 by JMN

One can understand a place by what its people make… Locals [from Orkney] have a special relationship with straw, which they have long used for everything from roofing and bedding to shelving, rainwear and furniture. Perhaps the most famous local … Continue reading →

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Ambiguous Freedom

Posted on September 8, 2019 by JMN

Film maker Gus Van Sant is known for “Drugstore Cowboy,” “My Own Private Idaho,” and “Good Will Hunting.” I didn’t know he also painted. Watercolor on linen is an unfamiliar combination for me. I’m not sure I would look too … Continue reading →

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Young Bashi-Bazouk

Posted on September 8, 2019 by JMN

“Mr. Cummings is a bashi-bazouk,” said [Dominic] Grieve, citing the Ottoman Empire’s shock troops, who were renowned for their ferocity. “It is going to be a very difficult period because Cummings doesn’t respect any rule at all.” (Benjamin Mueller and Stephen Castle, … Continue reading →

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Francisco Toledo, Dead at 79

Posted on September 8, 2019 by JMN

“The man himself is elusive,” [Paul] Theroux noted. “He hides from journalists, he hates to be photographed, he seldom gives interviews, he no longer attends his own openings, but instead sends his wife and daughter to preside over them, while … Continue reading →

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Female Underwear for Men

Posted on September 8, 2019 by JMN

[Victoria’s Secret’s] guiding light… was a fictional woman named Victoria who had been raised in England by a successful London businessman and a French mother. She was well educated and married to a barrister. Company decisions were often made by … Continue reading →

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If You Want a Picture, You Must Ask

Posted on September 8, 2019 by JMN

A female-focused dating app named Bumble, based in Austin, Texas, founded by Whitney Wolfe Herd, has lobbied Texas legislators successfully to pass the “cyber-flashing act.” The act … bans the electronic transmission of unwanted visual material depicting any person’s “intimate … Continue reading →

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“Storm With a Silent Mist”

Posted on September 5, 2019 by JMN

Isabel Toledo died last week of breast cancer at the age of fifty-nine. Judith Thurman pays tribute to this “designer’s designer” who described couture as a language which she had learned “as a child does, by immersion.” Self-possession is usually … Continue reading →

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