Category Archives: Anthology

My collected writings and those of family members.

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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Do NOT Surprise Your Mom

Posted on September 5, 2019 by JMN

The mother said she… saw someone running into the bedroom, at which point she fired her .38 special handgun, hitting her daughter once… “If you realize someone has a gun for protection, and they’re not expecting you—announce yourself when you … Continue reading →

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Nay, Nay Now. Period

Posted on September 2, 2019 by JMN

“I am NOT going to use the evil acts of a handful of people to diminish the God-given rights of my fellow Texans. Period. None of these so-called gun-control solutions will work to stop a person with evil intent […] … Continue reading →

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Arabist

Posted on September 1, 2019 by JMN

WARNING A long and wonkish post. Probably not your cup of tea. BACKGROUND I strove for years to read Arabic. I’ve largely lost what knack I attained. A recent brush with the language brought back how daunting it can be. … Continue reading →

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“Reach Out from Within”

Posted on August 31, 2019 by JMN

Karen Rosenberg writes that this exhibition of Helen Frankenthaler’s work at the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill, NY, “presents Provincetown [Massachusetts] as more of a psychic space, one of negotiation and self-discovery, with new family responsibilities but not too … Continue reading →

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“Ida, Not Georgia”

Posted on August 18, 2019 by JMN

Roberta Smith writes of an exhibition at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts entitled “Ida O’Keeffe: Escaping Georgia’s Shadow.” I don’t warm immediately to the work of Ida Ten Eyck O’Keefe (1889-1961), but I’m glad it has survived against … Continue reading →

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Song of the Ottoman: Original Poem

Posted on August 16, 2019 by JMN

Our past is our mystery. It is the tangle we have made of our hopes when we have come up to them. The future alone is clear. (Robert Henri) INTRO What it is not is an ottoman. What it is … Continue reading →

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Weaponized Food

Posted on August 4, 2019 by JMN

“Food is constantly implicated in economic and political processes, as well as in social and historical processes… Because of the recent events in the Middle East, even something as innocent looking as a ground chickpea ball can be used as … Continue reading →

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Bed Science

Posted on August 1, 2019 by JMN

The Bed Science Made Better Can your bed make you feel this good? (Ad in NYTimes online) Can my bed make me feel that good? Probably not. But the improved bed science created by an elided subordinating conjunction, and Henry … Continue reading →

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