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.

Dear Mother… I visited

Posted on July 25, 2018 by JMN

I visited with *** last night and we went over my translation, reading it against his published rendering. He was pleased to see no great errors, but saw places where he would like to change his version to match the … Continue reading →

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Botticelli Deconstructed

Posted on July 24, 2018 by JMN

youtube.com/embed/m4j4RwzE6j4 Hannah Gadsby on the “Birth of Venus.”

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“Vassar Pembroke Confronts the Spanish Language Teacher”

Posted on July 23, 2018 by JMN

Vassar Pembroke Confronts the Spanish Language Teacher Vassar Pembroke busts his chops, Spits her mind with no preamble, Says his teaching method flops According to her daughter Campbell. “Campbell says she’s not inspired. You do not motivate her much. Your … Continue reading →

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“Shed Down By the River” Continued

Posted on July 23, 2018 by JMN

Two other things that impressed me: (2) Among my peers at the Facultad de Filosofia y Letras in Barcelona, the “pandilla” was the organizing social unit — congenial, urbane, catholic, benign, excluding neither the ill-favored nor the studious nor the … Continue reading →

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Jonathan Gold

Posted on July 23, 2018 by JMN

“I’m not a cultural anthropologist,” he once said. “I write about taco stands and fancy French restaurants to try to get people less afraid of their neighbors and to live in their entire city instead of sticking to their one … Continue reading →

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Remembered

Posted on July 23, 2018 by JMN

Arturo Rodríguez, Mexican immigrant, master mason, arch builder, craftsman, sweet tenor, husband, friend. Told one of the best jokes I know. Its punchline: … No le hagas caso a ese caballo, no sabe nada de mecánica. Copyright (c) 2018 James … Continue reading →

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Cressida and Hermione

Posted on July 22, 2018 by JMN

Cressida’s fiancé Rupert plays midfield for the Tottenham Hotspurs. Her friend Hermione, only daughter of Sir Hubert Dalgleish, fancies Orlando, an enigmatic striker for the Northampton Avengers. Tut tut. Le coeur a ses raisons, etc., wouldn’t you say, if only … Continue reading →

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Dear Mother… I missed my last

Posted on July 21, 2018 by JMN

I missed my last weekend’s letter because of Andrew’s illness. It was not serious, but required that he be in the hospital for four days. A virus that produces nausea, diarrhea and fever has hit the little ones hard in … Continue reading →

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Dear Mother… I’m continuing

Posted on July 21, 2018 by JMN

“I’m continuing to read Jacques Barzun’s “Teacher in America,” written in the forties. He has a lot to say about what education really consists of (a lifelong endeavor), and I imagine a lot of his ideas would be sympathetic to … Continue reading →

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“Madame Declines”

Posted on July 21, 2018 by JMN

Madame Declines She revels in how much she couldn’t eat, And favors guests with bite-by-bite accounts Of steaks foregone and casseroles’ defeat, Sweets unsavored, succulence renounced, Salads, fruits, and relishes galore Spurned with a disdainful “Nevermore!” She weighs in mightily … Continue reading →

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