Education

  • Summa Cum Laude

    My second anniversary of graduating Summa Cum Laude from California State University, Long Beach, at age 75, is May 21, 2026. A celebration marking eight years from 2016 to 2024. After the long journey Arriving homethe feeling of ending and… Continue reading

    Summa Cum Laude
  • Spanish

    I love the sound of Spanish in all its forms. As spoken by a resident of Madrid, Mexico City, San Juan, Puerto Rico, the South Bronx, or East Los Angeles. According to Ehlion Language Consultancy, “Spanish is the official language… Continue reading

    Spanish
  • An Interesting Life

    I’ve often said that at seventy-seven, I’ve lived an interesting life.An understatement. It’s times like now when you look back at your life. Celebrate the victories. Learn from the failures. I often think about where I was born and raised.… Continue reading

    An Interesting Life
  • Living Old(er). Learning Lessons.

    This is part one of a two-part poetic memoir on Living Old(er). Learning Lessons. Originally published on LinkedIn and updated with my current age. I often joke that while I may be old(er) at seventy-seven, it doesn’t mean I’m deadNo,… Continue reading

    Living Old(er). Learning Lessons.
  • Serious Times

    Final thoughts of 2025. These truly are serious and dangerous times. The last question I have is, what are we going to do about it in 2026? These/ are serious timesThese/ are not serious peopleThese/ are fraught timesThese/ are not… Continue reading

    Serious Times
  • I Am All of Them

    diaspora(n.) 1825 in reference to Moravian protestants; 1869 in reference to the dispersion of the Jews; from Greek diaspora “dispersion,” from diaspeirein “to scatter about, disperse,” from dia “about, across” (see dia-) + speirein “to scatter” (see sparse). – etymoline.com… Continue reading

    I Am All of Them
  • The Second American Civil War

    Let’s get straight to the point: the Second American Civil War, fueled by the right wing of the Republican Party (GOP), found its beginnings with the election of President Barack Obama. We can debate (I enjoy a good debate) whether… Continue reading

    The Second American Civil War
  • Little Notes

    On Life-long learning: “My aim in life is to learn what I can from my experiences, to act on that learning and by example share what I’ve learned with others.” #63 MODERN AFFIRMATION 1,001 Meditations by Mike George (Published 2004… Continue reading

    Little Notes
  • Instructions For Making and Using an Ax Handle

    An Ax Handle, also called a haft, has five parts: the Eye, the Shoulder, the Belly, the Throat, and the Knob. ALL we wanted was to be served lunchat the whites-only lunch counterInside a F.W. Woolworthfive-and-dime store In Jacksonville, Florida,… Continue reading

    Instructions For Making and Using an Ax Handle
  • eight years

    When I graduated last year on May 21, I had been attending college for eight years, first at Long Beach City College and then at California State University, Long Beach. I had learned a lot, even for a then-75-year-old. what… Continue reading

    eight years