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.

Non-natives 3, Natives 1

“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 →

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Mono a Mono — Exegesis and Hermeneutics

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 →

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Dilettante, heal thyself

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 →

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My father at the end

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 →

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Anne Tyler on Reading

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 →

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Postscript to “A Modest Proposal”

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 →

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“Deliberation rather than grace”

“Despite his anarchistic impulses, Wojnarowicz [pronounced voyna-ROH-vitch]  was a methodical worker, a planner. The Rimbaud series was carefully developed through notebook drawings, examples of which are on view. Self-taught, he painted the way certain writers write, with deliberation rather than … Continue reading →

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“Found Doggerel”

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Found Doggerel “The stock market has predicted nine of the last five recessions,” said a lawyer slicker than dear guts hanging from a doorknob. Christ, the narcissism of minor differences! No one is the suppository of all wisdom. His thrusting … Continue reading →

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A Modest Proposal

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There’s an alternative to facilitating gun silencer purchases as Congress has considered. It would be to promote noise-canceling earbuds for fans of gun sport, thus not suppressing noise and flash. Hobbyist shooters would be protected from compromised hearing, while civilians … Continue reading →

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Who wants to die a sad and broken person?

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Who wants to die a sad and broken person like Melville — show of hands? One berates the ether doggedly with “this is me” effluvia. When, what, how much to reveal vexes continuously. Thrust, parry, withdraw, resurge, repeat. To trim … Continue reading →

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