Saturday, October 11, 2014
CATCH-UP BALL -- by Steve Nadis
It's true, I have not kept up on my blogging. And I feel bad about that. So I decided to write down all the things over the last month that I planned to blog about but never made the time for. Unfortunately, I can't remember most of those things, as I didn't write them down and am now at the point in life where I really need to. But here are a couple of random thoughts:
1. I had a "big birthday" about a week ago, and I shared it (to within a day or so) with CERN in Switzerland, which is presently the world's leading center for particle physics research. So it's fair to ask--at a time of reflection like this--who's accomplished more in their decades on this Earth, me or CERN?
2. My interactions with editors are not always harmonious, and I do not always agree with everything they say. But last week, I received a note from an editor who asked me to write two short profiles at the very last minute, which is to say within a couple of hours. She wrote back immediately upon receiving my attachments: "You are the best." In those four words, I feel like she covered it pretty well. In fact, I can't think of how she might have put things better.
3. There are many other items that should go in this spot--those small, funny things that pop up every now and then that are worthy of a chuckle or two. But because they are "small," those things don't usually make a lasting impression. And, as a result, I'm afraid they're gone. But new ones will come soon, I'm sure. Hopefully I will not be so remiss in recording them for posterity.
4. The above exercise did jog my memory somewhat, and I seem to recall a friend who was fond of a couple of turns of phrase that I came up with, one being "chamber pot music" and the other concerning the recent "vote for Scotch tape independence." There is more of this to come, although some may wish for less.
1. I had a "big birthday" about a week ago, and I shared it (to within a day or so) with CERN in Switzerland, which is presently the world's leading center for particle physics research. So it's fair to ask--at a time of reflection like this--who's accomplished more in their decades on this Earth, me or CERN?
2. My interactions with editors are not always harmonious, and I do not always agree with everything they say. But last week, I received a note from an editor who asked me to write two short profiles at the very last minute, which is to say within a couple of hours. She wrote back immediately upon receiving my attachments: "You are the best." In those four words, I feel like she covered it pretty well. In fact, I can't think of how she might have put things better.
3. There are many other items that should go in this spot--those small, funny things that pop up every now and then that are worthy of a chuckle or two. But because they are "small," those things don't usually make a lasting impression. And, as a result, I'm afraid they're gone. But new ones will come soon, I'm sure. Hopefully I will not be so remiss in recording them for posterity.
4. The above exercise did jog my memory somewhat, and I seem to recall a friend who was fond of a couple of turns of phrase that I came up with, one being "chamber pot music" and the other concerning the recent "vote for Scotch tape independence." There is more of this to come, although some may wish for less.
