P.S. A Column On Things

Esalen

There is no aspect of a weekend at Esalen Institute (a retreat center on the Monterrey, California coast) that is not breathtaking and life-affirming, if not life changing. I remember reading about it during its druggie/hippie/Timothy Leary days in the 1960s, and even then, its dedication to the “human potential movement,” was beyond my experience and so a bit scary, still seemed like something I’d like to try. Finally, the weekend of Oct. 1, I got my chance. Two massages in the seaside open air pavilion, multiple dips in the outdoor mineral water hot tubs overlooking the ocean, and three days of guided meditation in a seaside tent.

More About Esalen…

Twenty Three Years Later: PSACOT

(A reprint of my annual anniversary item, with small adjustments).

As of Oct. 16, it's been twenty three years since my online revival of this 52-year-old column. (As published, as a Typepad Entry) Twenty three years online! (with a small six-year gap in the middle). More than a thousand on-line columns, successors to an idea born in MIT’s objectivist student newspaper, ERGO, on September 23, 1970, six days after my 18^th birthday.

When I started this column online, "W" was still the second-rate governor of Texas, and Sara Palin was busy running Wasila. And John McCain was angry. W is still second rate, Palin isn't running anything, and John McCain is gone.

I was still working for CMP (computer journalism company), and had a weekly podcast, back before pods (which definitely cut into our audience). My heart beat by itself and I weighed 270 pounds. In short, things were different

In 1998, during the Clinton impeachment, I either had to start a column or check into a mental institution. PSACOT gave me a forum in which to express, to an audience (no matter how small) my feelings about that political circus. [As a one-time U.S. history teacher, I am forced to note that Andrew Johnson's impeachment was a rabid partisan witch hunt, as was Clinton's. Only Nixon's was bipartisan--and only Nixon resigned. And only Trump was charged twice for crimes he actually committed.]

The column/blog has since evolved into a combination of diary for my family and me and bulletin board for my clever friends--in short, a personal column. Like, but not as good as, former San Francisco Chronicle columnists Adair Lara or Jon Carroll. Or, to take a national example, former New York Times columnist Anna Quindlen, considered the mother of the personal column concept (even though Stanton Delaplane and Charles McCabe of the San Francisco Chronicle actually beat her to it--but of course, if it hasn't happened in New York, it hasn't happened).

PSACOT is also a revival of sorts. My MIT readers would remember the original P.S. A Column On Things, which ran in ERGO, MIT's objectivist newspaper from September 1970 to March 1971, and The Tech, MIT's semi-official student newspaper, six times from March 1971 to May 1971. Those were among my happiest days as a journalist. If I had truly understood the fulfillment a personal column gave me, perhaps I would have fought harder to keep it when Bob Fourer killed it, or I would have revived it when I became editor-in-chief two years later, or tried to practice the craft as an adult (and become the father of the personal column).

In any case, I expect to still be doing this next October; I'll meet you here.

Right Column Redux: Ross Snyder Valedictory

The column to the right on this blog contains permanent content, most of which has appeared at one time or another in the main body. I’ve decided to include a few reminders of said content each week.

As my late father-in-law used to say, the problem with getting older is that all your friends are dead. And not just your older ones. Here’s one of my valedictories:

Ross Snyder Valedictory

Red Thread

While watching a movie with Vicki recently, I heard a reference to “red thread.” In context, it had to do with the seemingly random ways we meet the people in life we love. My first two lovers both lived with me at MIT’s co-op for financial aid students, Student House. Nothing too random there. But the Hartford Statehouse St. Patrick’s Day Party? A World Affairs Council Wine Tasting? The rooms were filled with red thread. Is it really an old Chinese saying? I don’t care enough to do the research. But it’s still a sweet idea.

Your Value

This insightful post comes from LinkedIn, apparently by Julie Dolan:

A bottle of water in the supermarket is worth about $0.50. The same bottle in a bar costs $2. In a good restaurant or hotel it can be worth up to $3. At an airport or on the plane, you may be charged $5. The bottle and the brand is the same, the only thing that changes is the place. Each place gives a different value to the same product. When you feel like you are worth nothing and everyone around you belittles you, change places, do not stay there. Have the courage to change places and go to a place where you are given the value you deserve. Surround yourself with people who really appreciate your worth. Don't settle for less!

The Mixed Blessing of Genius

I have seen genius, mostly at MIT but also at other times in my life, and I have seen that while it may be a blessing for society, it is a mixed bag for the holder. A Garrison Keillor column put me in mind of this; he had just read a dancer’s memoir, and offered a simple prayer: “Thank you, dear Lord, for mediocrity. Middleness suits me very well.” Me too. That’s not a humble-brag. If I were more than a middling writer, I’d know by now.

For 59 years, what I’ve lacked in quality, I’ve made up in quantity. And what I’ve lacked in genius I’ve made up for in a loving, loved and tumult-free life filled with loving kindness in both directions.

As Keillor notes, I’ve never had to starve myself or been told my thighs were fat. Well, actually both those things happened to me, but they didn’t strike at my essence so they were OK.

Right Column Redux: Edwin Diamond Tribute

The column to the right on this blog contains permanent content, most of which has appeared at one time or another in the main body. I’ve decided to include a few reminds of said content each week.

Edwin Diamond: An Appreciation

The official Edwin Diamond site

Meme: Path of Life

Right Column Redux: Richard Parker Tribute

The column to the right on this blog contains permanent content, most of which has appeared at one time or another in the main body. I’ve decided to include a few reminders of said content each week.

Richard Parker Tribute

Right Column Redux: Stories of a Young Journalist

The column to the right on this blog contains permanent content, most of which has appeared at one time or another in the main body. I’ve decided to include a few reminders of said content each week.

Stories of a Young Journalist
These are stories from early in my journalism career