Category Archives: Anthology

My collected writings and those of family members.

Frozen Versus Canned

Posted on August 21, 2018 by JMN

Hollie Jean Burmeister makes such a to-do over her old-fashioned frozen pies. I don’t know what the big fuss is. The canned pies at Mustang Mart cost ninety-eight cents apiece, half of what the frozen ones do. The Kandi-Whip gets … Continue reading →

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On V.S. Naipaul

Posted on August 16, 2018 by JMN

He never looked away. I was with him in Wiltshire soon after my father, the governor of Punjab in Pakistan, was assassinated. I had been estranged from my father and was not sure how to mourn him. Mr. Naipaul, with … Continue reading →

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It seems as if…

Posted on August 14, 2018 by JMN

It seems as if I had to divest myself of my own library before I could start reading any of it. The sheer weight of unread books can neutralize a person. I don’t know if I ever told you the … Continue reading →

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Stoicism (I got past the gloom. Happy now. This is about reading, not suicide.)

Posted on August 13, 2018 by JMN

[Domestic strife can cause one to seek comfort in odd places. During a time of gloom and stress I found relief by delving into some writings about the Stoics. I was retail advertising manager for the local newspaper, a highly … Continue reading →

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The Art of Typing

Posted on August 13, 2018 by JMN

[Frank Bruni and I share an alma mater — UNC-Chapel Hill. I enjoy his columns. His account of learning touch typing at age 17 mirrors my own experience. One semester of typing class in the tenth grade has served me … Continue reading →

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You’re a kind ear, Joe.

Posted on August 11, 2018 by JMN

I hope I don’t wear you out with my musings. Poetry is there when you need it. It seems to rise to the occasion when nothing else will do. It concentrates the mind and the emotions, like scripture. Poets get … Continue reading →

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Maruja Mallo

Posted on August 11, 2018 by JMN

Even within artistic circles, these women were often excluded or treated as muses to male creative genius (Dalí once described Mallo as “half angel, half shellfish”). Their work, however, insists on a different story. Mallo — who never married and … Continue reading →

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“The Odds”

Posted on August 10, 2018 by JMN

The Odds If you’re a person given to gambling, What odds would you lay on the following: A grizzled dude straddling his big Harley Presents his better half as his “old lady”? His better half (who sports a lovely tan) … Continue reading →

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Dear Mother… As I’ve been traveling

Posted on August 8, 2018 by JMN

As I’ve been traveling more, again, I’ve gotten so tired of seeing dead animals on the road. It’s begun to sicken me. Everywhere you go you see little carcasses and mauled remains. Some are not so little; I’ve seen several … Continue reading →

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Dear Mother… I’m keeping

Posted on August 7, 2018 by JMN

I’m keeping a fairly close record on my office computer of how I spend my time at work. I feel overworked in the sense that I’m letting myself be subjected to more demands than I can reasonably satisfy, as well … Continue reading →

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