Most days I post something about my day in a microblog. Without over-thinking, I’ve selected one post from each month of 2020. January Looking back from today, January 2020 seems like an alternate reality where we could sit in theater audiences, eat in restaurants, and ride public transport. The Minneapolis Guthrie Theater’s artistic director, Joseph… Continue reading 12 Months of Microposts: 2020
Category: Write
I’m Not a Bot
A Twitter algorithm has decided I’m a bot, so I’m being prevented from posting to my daily microblog. I’ve submitted a ticket, and expect resolution eventually. This is no big deal, I won’t be hounding Twitter to get my access back. Although I’ve been posting daily for almost a decade, I do occasionally miss a… Continue reading I’m Not a Bot
My Air Travel Happy Path in a Time of Covid-19
Traveling by Numbers
I needed to share my love of backpacking and walking with my two young nephews (aged 10 and 11). My partner, the two nephews, their parents, and I have been backpacking in Andalucia, Southern Spain. With a couple exceptions, we traveled using public transport and our legs. The exceptions were a ride on the tram… Continue reading Traveling by Numbers
Ikigai: It Gets You out of Bed Every Morning
The [Japanese] word ‘ikigai’ is usually used to indicate the source of value in one’s life or the things that make one’s life worthwhile … . [It’s] used to refer to mental and spiritual circumstances under which individuals feel that their lives are valuable. There is a difference between ikigai and the sense of well-being.… Continue reading Ikigai: It Gets You out of Bed Every Morning
Living in a Time of Shortages
It was the summer of 1975. I was standing in a GUM department store in Moscow, Russia, wondering why these people were standing patiently in a long line. I walked to the front of the line to see what was going on. A supply of disposable ballpoint pens had recently arrived. The people were lining… Continue reading Living in a Time of Shortages
The Liberation of Writing for Myself
Posted The Liberation of Writing for Myself.
The Liberation of Writing for Myself
Every now and then, I receive a request like this: Dear Editor, My name is Jen and I’m the Editor at Jen Reviews. I was doing research on cheese recipes and just finished reading your wonderful blog post: https://www.tomwilson.com/2015/05/zen-and-art-of-casserole-assembly.html In that article, I noticed that you cited a solid post that I’ve read in the past: http://www.cheese.com/sartori-classic-montamore/… Continue reading The Liberation of Writing for Myself
The Time I Sneaked onto a Night Train from Communist East Berlin to Prague
August 1972. My brother and I stood in front of the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin. We had just arrived from London on our first flight ever. The flight was cheap by 1972 standards: just £14. In 2018 pounds that’s £181 (US$230), a lot of money for us: I was an undergraduate, and my brother… Continue reading The Time I Sneaked onto a Night Train from Communist East Berlin to Prague
Which Bicycle Should I Choose?
Finally the rain came today. Normally I would use my own bicycle to run errands, but it doesn’t have mudguards. I would end up with a muddy stripe down my backpack. On a day like today, I prefer to run errands using shared, NiceRide bicycles. They have mudguards, and I can always switch to public transport… Continue reading Which Bicycle Should I Choose?