Author Archives: JMN

Unknown's avatar

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.

“Displeasing little man”

Posted on July 17, 2018 by JMN

Soon Proust was disenchanted by his goddesses. As Weber notes, his “idealizing vision of his ladies changed over time into something darker.” To the Comtesse de Chevigné [Laure de Sade, great-granddaughter of the Marquis], he wrote, “What one used to … Continue reading →

Posted in Quotations | Tagged | Leave a comment

“She’s so competitive”

Posted on July 17, 2018 by JMN

“It’s funny when they talk about women, saying, ‘Oh, she’s so competitive,’ and it’s almost a put-down… For me, what’s the alternative? To try to lose, or to not give your best? ‘Competitive’ means you’re concentrating, and you do everything … Continue reading →

Posted in Quotations | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Ambiguous Headline of the Day

Posted on July 17, 2018 by JMN

“Putin Is Running a Destructive Cybercrime Syndicate Out of Russia” (NYTimes). Hmmm… I run a raccoon out of my wood shop now and then. (c) 2018 James Mansfield Nichols. All rabbits restrained.

Posted in Commentary, Quotations | Tagged | Leave a comment

“Sonnet: Day of a Salesman”

Posted on July 16, 2018 by JMN

Sonnet: Day of a Salesman He spoke of where he had to go, greater doings, how and when; what he was for now he did not seem to know, knitting his brow often over it but none the wiser. He … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthology | Tagged | 2 Comments

Non-natives 3, Natives 1

Posted on July 16, 2018 by JMN

“English is a global language with many native and nonnative varieties. Worldwide, nonnative speakers of English outnumber natives by a ratio of three to one. Even in the United States, which has the largest population of native English speakers, there … Continue reading →

Posted in Quotations | Tagged | Leave a comment

Mono a Mono — Exegesis and Hermeneutics

Posted on July 16, 2018 by JMN

My theology chops are modest at best. One monotheism has been dinged by another as being slightly quasi-mono because of the Trinity and the saints and mariolatry. The dinging party severely prescribes oneness (one God, one Messenger), whereas the dinged … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Dilettante, heal thyself

Posted on July 15, 2018 by JMN

I’m curious about too many things, which is why I haven’t achieved distinction in anything. Consider this fascinating article in today’s NYTimes about perfumes: “The Difference Between Perfume, Cologne and Other Fragrances” by Tynan Sink. Here’s an overview, but read … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged , | Leave a comment

My father at the end

Posted on July 14, 2018 by JMN

I helped him poop and pee; wiped him, washed him, lotioned him, shaved him, fed him, dispensed medicines, tugged his lanky six-foot-three frame back to semi-recumbent each time it slid down his bed. He was stoic, docile, acknowledging, laconic at … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged | 4 Comments

Anne Tyler on Reading

Posted on July 14, 2018 by JMN

You used to be reluctant to give interviews, but seem to have softened lately. Why? “I am still reluctant, to be honest, but the world has changed so much. I used to think it was my publisher’s job to get … Continue reading →

Posted in Quotations | Tagged | Leave a comment

Postscript to “A Modest Proposal”

Posted on July 13, 2018 by JMN

When I still used Facebook I put up a version of the nonsense I’ve blogged here as “A Modest Proposal” (with nod to Jonathan Swift). A Modest Proposal At the time, a bill to foment the sale of silencers was before … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged | Leave a comment