Category Archives: Uncategorized

Look like what you mean

Posted on October 13, 2016 by hessd

The great thing about fighting a war with intercontinental ballistic missiles is that you don’t have to know a lot about your enemies. You load up a barrel full of destruction and heave it off to “do bad things” to … Continue reading →

Posted in Communication, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

“One plucky leper”

Posted on September 18, 2016 by hessd

I have been a fan of Gary Trudeau’s work for a long time.  He does a lot of current political things.  I’m pretty sure, for instance, that there will be a caricature of Donald Trump in today’s cartoon.  But a … Continue reading →

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“Having” a Problem

Posted on August 23, 2016 by hessd

It is well-known that I am partial to redheads. Bette, for instance, is not confused about how much I enjoy being married to a redhead. [1] On the other hand, I formulated the instrumental significance of the notion of “problem” … Continue reading →

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“He can’t help retaliating”

Posted on August 10, 2016 by hessd

I heard that line on a Slate Political Gabfest. The question had to do with Donald Trump’s response to things he thinks of as insults. He hits back hard. [1] Hitting back hard” takes the place of “running a disciplined … Continue reading →

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The Muppet Musicians of Bremen

Posted on August 10, 2016 by hessd

In 1972, when The Muppet Musicians of Bremen was broadcast, my children were 12, 10, and 8, so I am pretty sure we watched it together. But somehow, the family got a CD of the show, and my kids were … Continue reading →

Posted in Getting Old, Living My Life, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Fitting in

Posted on August 2, 2016 by hessd

It isn’t always what you want to do, of course, but it is probably something you always want to be able to do. In Abraham Maslow’s well-known hierarchy of needs, “fitting in” and “not fitting in” are adjacent goals. My … Continue reading →

Posted in Getting Old, Living My Life, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The D and R Conventions

Posted on July 30, 2016 by hessd

They are over now. At least for me. For the last two nights, I have watched a bunch of very capable Democrats giving really terrific speeches. If it were just for the pleasure of living in the world their words … Continue reading →

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Leaving home and coming home

Posted on July 26, 2016 by hessd

“Coming and going and going and coming, and always too soon,” sings Lili von Schtupp in her Wild West barroom show in Blazing Saddles. When I began to call the series of essays describing this move “Moving in Time,” part … Continue reading →

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Genre and Meaning

Posted on July 22, 2016 by hessd

I want to ask you to think along with me today on meaning and scripture. I want to say that explicitly at the beginning because the opening example will seem to be about something else entirely, especially, coming as it … Continue reading →

Posted in Biblical Studies, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

A Failed Conversation at Starbucks

Posted on July 10, 2016 by hessd

I experienced one of the few failures of conversation I have ever had in our Starbucks group last week. I had a position I wanted to sell. It is position the group almost certainly accepts in general, but they didn’t … Continue reading →

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