My Retirement Diary 2025

My Retirement Diary 2026 Jul-Dec, 2026 Jan-Jun, 2025, 2024, 2023

Bird’s eye maple frame and photo by HZ

Most images can be enlarged if you click on photo.

December 7–23, 2025

Today is my 71st birthday. There is no way to describe 71 except as old. Yet all is good and I am still happy.

Everything I wrote on my 70th birthday (scroll to bottom of this page) still applies.

Tomorrow I will be 70 years old, which is a landmark age.

I am not surprised that I “don’t feel 70.” For the last two decades I have always “felt” 2 decades younger than my actual age.

Of late, I have noticed that my cognitive function and memory are not as good as they used to be and it takes me longer to arise from sitting on the floor. I’m not saying that either of these changes are out of the norm, but they are a little bit disconcerting, especially the former.

I am not one who celebrates birthdays as signficant real landmarks. For me, age is a continuum and I do not perceive “getting old” as a negative. I know Americans prize and glorify “youth”, but I’m not one of them. Maybe this is because my role models for the elderly were my grandmother and mother, who were such positive role models. Or maybe it’s because I’m a physician and I’ve seen how life unfolds and I accept aging as simply a normal part of life.

I remain concerned about my memory and cognitive function. While they are not clearly improving, but it is also not obvious that they are getting worse. To compensate for the degradation in my memory, I rely heavily on my calendar and my photo archive to create an record of what I have done, and can use on occasion, like this, to recall events.

Sometimes I find that, on a moment’s notice, I cannot recall whether I have read a particular book, or retrieve the book’s story/information. It turns out this (forgetting what was read) is not  uncommon. There is a substantial literature on the phenomenon, with titles like Why We Forget Most of the Books We Read. I also came across the “forgetting curve,” which models how rapidly memory decays over time. None of this is reassuring, but it is oddly normalizing.

Since my last diary entry, we received the construction permit to allow us to begin renovating our house – start date 1/12/2026 with an expected duration into August 2026. We are removing the entire third-floor attic and replacing it with a mansard roof. This will convert two small, cramped rooms under the peak of the A-frame into two modest bedrooms, a sitting room, a full bathroom, a deck, and, critically, a legal staircase connecting the second and third floors. It will finally be safe to carry a child up and down. With a total of three grandchildren by May 2025, this expansion is essential if we want to have our grandkids visit.

Our initial plan is to remain in the house during construction. Whether that is realistic remains to be seen. Finding temporary housing that will accommodate two dogs, keeps me near my woodworking tools, and allows us to stay close enough to the construction site to answer questions in real time is both difficult and expensive.

I continue to host my monthly retirement brunches, which I enjoy. The all-male group has become somewhat fragmented, largely due to attendees traveling. I am considering expanding it by one additional person to ensure a minimum of five attendees at each meeting.

Ten days ago I went to The Burren, “my” local bar, for “Opera on Tap Boston,” a noon-to-2 p.m. event. A group of five opera singers, accompanied by a historian and pianist performed a substantial portion of Handel’s Messiah, with historical commentary woven throughout. The score/libretto were distributed by QR code and many sung along. It was joyful, accessible, and unexpectedly moving.

That evening I went to Darling, a new restaurant in Central Square with L and K; Gail was still in California. L has been my friend since 11th or 12th grade, when we participated in an American Youth Hostel cycling trip to Prince Edward Island. He grew up north of New York City, I grew up east of NYC, on Long Island. We saw each other occasionally through high school, then mostly, but not completely lost touch after college. I remember him showing up in my Cornell dorm room during my sophomore year, at 2 AM and being surprised to find me studying. We drifted apart for decades, then reconnected maybe 15-20 years ago. The friendship resumed easily and has endured. I value it, and I enjoy our time together and with K, his spouse.

Gail returned from Napa on December 15 after a three-to-four-week stay at an Airbnb – discussed in my prior entry below. She had a wonderful time with our two grandkids and hiking with Sierra in Yosemite.

On December 17 we attended Mount Auburn Cemetery’s annual SOLSTICE: Reflections on Winter Light installation. The cemetery is a horticultural and historical treasure, and worth visiting in every season.

Gail and I were invited to a “three-cocktail party” hosted by K, a participant in my MIT Club of Boston cycling group. He had to stop riding with us when his teaching schedule (Prof at Northeastern) changed. We were the oldest attendees by at least two decades. The guests were interesting and fun to talk with. Early in the evening we were each handed a cocktail. About ninety minutes later, while I was talking with a woman at least a generation younger than I, she said, “You are a respected elder. Could you please ask K to make more cocktails?” Of course I complied, but I will certainly remember that phrase: respected elder.

I have been working on several creative projects since my last dairy entry. 

One project is a wooden truck for my granddaughter, made from scrap wood. It is nearly finished. The only unresolved decision is whether to change the color of the red wheels.

I am also revising an essay that began as a 27-page document for Boston Indivisible; it was later condensed into a roughly 1,000-word essay, and is now undergoing another revision, with the hope that if I add more emotional content I might find someone to publish it.

In addition, I am working on a 2- minute pro-democracy video which will be composed of statements from 1-2 dozen respected or well-known figures commenting on the decline of democracy in America. I have completed the research and assembled the quotes, sources, and URLs. What remains is the creation of the graphical components then assembling it into a video. I incorporate brief audio or video clips of the speakers themselves.

Of course, the house destruction/construction is going to be a time consuming affair.

I have now completed my third year of retirement. I remain happy, and mostly busy enough. I should probably write an essay titled Retirement Update @ 3 Years to accompany the earlier ones: Retirement Update @ 3 months, Retirement Update @ 8 months, Retirement Update @ 2 Years, – to be determined.

November 25 – December 7, 2025

I am thrilled to report that my “platter” made it into the Jan/Feb 2025 issue of Fine Woodworking, the premier woodworking magazine in the US. My other creations can be seen: HZ Creations

Of course it will still cost me $2.40 to ride the subway but accolades are greatly appreciated.

The following is in no particular order.

Books

I finished Isaac Asimov’s short story Nightfall. I have always felt a connection to Asimov because I met him in high school around 1972–73. I had invited him to speak at my school and was his chaperone. Unfortunately, I had also decided that I would cut my long hair as a Mother’s Day present on that day. After escorting him to the auditorium, I told him I needed to leave for the haircut. He had long gray hair himself and told me not to do it. I don’t remember my reply, and I didn’t hear his talk, but the moment has stayed with me for more than fifty years.

Asimov’s first publication was in 1939, and he wrote Nightfall in 1941. The story, often called a science-fiction masterpiece, describes a civilization illuminated by multiple suns. Every few hundred years, all the suns set simultaneously, plunging the world into darkness, driving the society mad, and triggering its periodic collapse. It was an engaging read.

I read Thomas Paine’s Common Sense (1775), which I learned about from The American Revolution (below.) The pamphlet was widely credited with convincing many colonists that separation from Britain was necessary. It is filled with passages that remain relevant today. I quoted one in my essay A Governor’s Duty: Protecting Massachusetts from Federal Authoritarianism. Unfortunately I still have not managed to get published.

Movies and TV

The American Revolution (PBS, Ken Burns et al.)

I watched the six-part series and learned a great deal. I had not fully grasped that the American Revolution was also a civil war involving descendants of European immigrants, Native Americans, and enslaved people. It was extremely violent. I did not know that the families of some patriot soldiers followed the patriot army because the women had no means of supporting themselves at home and could assist by tending the wounded, burying the dead, feeding soldiers, and sometimes fighting.

I also learned that American leaders of the Revolutionary War had planned to expand west, taking the lands belonging to Native Americans, as expansion across the continent was viewed as essential and profitable (later labeled as manifest destiny). The film emphasized Washington’s skill at persuading people to do what he needed, even when the cause looked doomed. One lesson Washington internalized was that he didn’t need to win every battle; he only needed to survive long enough to keep fighting. This maxim is true for most people fight on their home turf, e.g. Vietnam, Ukraine, Afghanistan, etc.).

In a 1776 letter to John Hancock, Washington wrote: “When Men are irritated, & the Passions inflamed, they fly hastily, and cheerfully to Arms; but, after the first emotions are over, to expect, among such People as compose the bulk of an Army, that they are influenced by any other principles than those of Interest, is to look for what never did, & I fear never will happen.” That sentiment applies today: people are motivated less to fight for “democracy” but ready to fight for their economic and social needs.

The series also noted that both patriot and British forces commonly pillaged surrounding communities at night. British predation in the Carolinas and Virginia enraged local farmers, pushing many into the patriot ranks, and this likely enabled the Patriots to ultimately win.

If you haven’t watched The American Revolution, it is well worth the time.

Gail and I also watched Wicked, Part One then Wicked, For Good. Wicked, For Good is much darker, and the parallels to contemporary American politics are unmistakable. Gail loved it. I thought it was good-very good, though a bit slow in the middle.

I watched the 10 episode Netflix series Long Story Short, which is a caricature of a contemporary Jewish family. I found the first episode very funny; later episodes were less successful, but the final two were emotionally resonant, highlighting how family and traditions contribute to happiness and fulfillment. It made me reflect on my relationship with my grandchildren, with the third  due in April, and all in the Bay area. But my home is in Somerville, and relocating west is not appealing to me, even though I love the state of California. Playing with grandchildren is not how I want to spend my retirement, at least not now.

Social

As noted earlier, the week before Thanksgiving, Gail and I flew to SF to meet our new granddaughter and to celebrate Thanksgiving at my son/daughter-in-laws home (Napa, CA) with our family and our daughter-in-law’s family. ON Thanksgiving evening, Sierra and Chris drove me to their apartment in San Francisco, where I stayed overnight. The next day Sierra and I drove to Redwood City to visit my brother and sister-in-law. We had an excellent 3-hour conversation before Sierra dropped me at SFO for my flight home.

When I returned to Somerville, I discovered my house had no heat, though the hot water still worked. It took six days to resolve this problem. Because our hydronic hot-water system heats a hydronic coil in an air handler that pumps the high-velocity HVAC system, the repair was complex and expensive.

We learned that the permit for our planned home renovations was approved, but the permit cost, combined with the heating repairs, has forced us to reconsider the entire project. I have been hesitant for a long time, but it is important to Gail, so we will proceed with the deconstruction and reconstruction of our home, while living in it.

My three monthly retirees’ brunch groups continue to meet on Wednesdays.

Other

I attended the Boston University Howard Zinn Memorial Lecture, delivered by John Shattuck. Zinn taught at Spelman and BU from 1956 to 1988 and was an important political activist. Shattuck, now at Tufts, previously served as U.S. Ambassador to Czechoslovakia and president of Central European University. He watched Viktor Orbán dismantle Hungary’s democracy, so his analysis of how democracies slide into authoritarianism was informed and direct. I did not learn anything fundamentally new, but his summary was useful. He emphasized:

How to defend democracy: 

• Resist; do not appease the authoritarian
• Maintain majority support for core democratic values
• Organize resistance from the bottom up; use networks; support vulnerable groups
• Use nonviolence, strikes, boycotts, de-escalation training
• Organize noncooperation among institutions that uphold authoritarian systems: business, labor, faith communities, education, civil service, police, military
• Avoid circular firing squads
• Build person-to-person relationships
• Craft a positive message
• Use media and culture creatively
• Reach beyond core supporters
• Advocate for real reform

Creative

With ChatGPT’s help, I wrote a 12-line poem for Gail’s 69th birthday and recorded it as a one-minute video of family photos for her.

Cobblestone Frame

I finished the frame I had designed for one of Gail’s self-portraits, but she felt the cobblestone frame was too visually busy for the portrait. That’s a reasonable critique. Instead, I installed one of my recent photographs, and it works.

Bird’s eye maple frame and photo by HZ

Exercise

It is now too cold for me to cycle (temperature < 43°) so I’ve started walking, but I need to be more disciplined about it.

Anxiety

Since retiring, I’ve noticed that minor issues trigger disproportionate anxiety. I attribute this to the way my career ended. My Anxiety 

I tell you this because two days ago I attended the MIT Wind Ensemble performance and parked in an MIT garage. During the concert I became concerned that I would not be able to get into the building that contained garage and wouldn’t be able to retrieve my car. The concert ran 90 minutes, but I left after 60 because the worry was too distracting. Fortunately, my iPhone’s MIT ID unlocked the building door I needed. Episodes like this remind me that anxiety is not rational.

Odds and Ends

I picked up new lenses and frames from the optician. I like the frames, but there is a problem; rectangular objects look trapezoidal. This likely means the astigmatism axis was mis-measured or mis-manufactured. I can use the glasses for now, but I need to confirm that the lens axis matches the prescription. If it does, I will need a revised prescription.

November 11-24, 2025

Social

I hosted two retirees’ brunches over the past two weeks, each with six attendees. The conversations moved along briskly and people seemed to enjoy themselves. One participant organized a Sunday dim sum brunch that drew four attendees, not I. I consider it a great success as my goal is to build community.

Last week I held the final MIT Club of Boston Thursday cycling ride of the season. I find it to uncomfortable to cycle when the temperature drops below 43 degrees, and it has gotten colder in Massachusetts. Until the spring, I will trip to cycle three times a week when conditions allow but if it is too cold or wet, I’ll take Mason on a five-mile walk.

Gail and I attended Central Square Theater’s production of Summer 1976, a fictional story about two women whose relationship evolves over several decades. We both enjoyed it, but I wouldn’t call it a great play or strongly recommend it.

Family

Our second grandchild was born, and we flew to Napa to meet her. 

During Gail and my Lyft ride from San Francisco Airport to Napa, I started up a conversation with the driver, a refuge from Afghanistan. He was in Iran when America left and the Taliban takeover and had led a police department of about 50 officers. He could not return home as the Taliban would have killed. He made his way from Iran to Brazil, then traveled north through Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama via the Darién Gap, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico. He crossed the border in San Diego and was granted asylum before Trump took office. He has a wife and four children who are still in Afghanistan. It is extremely unlikely they will be reunited for as long a Trump remains the president. He told us he drives for Lyft from 5 a.m. to midnight every day and struggles to make ends meet. He showed us some photos of his family, him running a large meeting of his colleagues, and a photo of him working alongside U.S. military personnel – clearly very proud of what he did. The U.S. abandoned the Afghans who had  worked the US, police, military, translators, and government officials, and were promised resettlement in the US, if needed. We failed them. 

Gail is thrilled to be with our granddaughters; the older, J, is now two. While Calder, Gaby, and the new baby (N) were in the hospital, Gail and I took J so Gaby’s parents (they moved into Calder/Gaby’s house to care for J and the two dogs, Moose and Harper), could get some down-time. We took J to the park several times over two days, out for ice cream, to a local farm where she fed grass to a goat and horse, and we hiked up/down a big hill.

Gail can do grandparenting indefinitely – it makes her very happy. 

After a few hours, I’m ready to move-on from grandparenting, it is just not sufficiently entertaining or engaging. For me, fun is creating.

Some retirees want “grandparenting” to be their “third act,” their new career. I am not one of them. I’m happy to take care of my grandkids for as long as it remains enjoyable; and I have a hard rule that won’t do diapers. Once grandparenting ceases to be fun, I will hand the kids back to their parents.

Since our kids moved away and became married, I have remarked to Gail on numerous occasions that their problems are their problems –  “It is not my problem.”  I think this phrase/idea came from my medical training. At some point when someone said to me “It is the patient who has the disease. Do everything you can to help. But in the end you go home and “It is the patient who has the disease.”

Of course, I will step- in to help if it is absolutely necessary, and I will help for as long as I can – but in the end, it is their life to manage. Some may say I am being selfish. I don’t think that is the case. I spent my entire life prioritizing my kids, giving them everything I could so they would be successful in the world, just as I did everything I could for  my patients. Back then, my time was not my own. It is now my time to prioritize us, Gail and me. My children can make their own decisions, and they can manage the consequences of those decision, their own lives, as they have done par excellence. Their lives are no longer my responsibility–my retirement mantra remains: “It is now my time.” 

Gail will remain her in Napa, in an AirBnB, for one month, but I am returning home the day after Thanksgiving.

Reading

After seeing Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein movie, I decided to re-listen to Mary Shelley’s original novel, which I last listened to a 1 or 2 years ago. Per ChatGPT:

During the rainy summer of 1816 at Lake Geneva, Lord Byron challenged Mary Shelley (then 18), Percy Shelley, John Polidori, and himself to write a ghost story. Mary produced Frankenstein. Polidori wrote The Vampyre, the precursor to modern vampire fiction.

Pro-democracy work

During the last two week I have continued to do my pro-democracy work, without much success. I couldn’t get anybody to publish either of my essays, but created several variations of these two social media posts that occasional get a bit of attention: 

A.ll
B.illionaires 
C.orrupt 
D.emocracy
Easy as ABCD…

✅ Shrink their fortunes & political power
✅ Tax billionaires’ wealth
✅ Eliminate taxes for 95% of Americans
✅ Tax revenue is net positive
✅ Return America to We the People
The plan: https://ihaveanidea.us/taxwealth/

__________________

If a president wants to destroy democracy, there's a manual: 
https://ihaveanidea.us/authoritarianplaybook/
Trump has followed the steps in the manual.
People lose freedoms—slowly, one at a time.
The most important enabler is fear.
You can stop Trump today, but maybe not tomorrow
Part of the solution can be read here: 
https://ihaveanidea.us/op-ed_governors_guide

November 11, 2025

Audiobooks

I finished reading The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (2000) and very much enjoyed it. About 30–40% of the people I told about the book said they had read it. That’s not surprising, since the novel won the Pulitzer Prize the year it was published. Gail and I are going to attend the Metropolitan Opera HD movie in February.

Gail suggested that I read Dante’s Inferno, as I’ve been trying to catch up on classics I’ve never read but should have. Dante’s Inferno is the first third of The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, written between 1308 and 1321.

Per ChatGPT:
Plot Overview
The work is an allegory of the soul’s journey toward God.
In Inferno, Dante, guided by the Roman poet Virgil, descends through nine circles of Hell, encountering sinners punished according to their vices.
In Purgatorio, he climbs Mount Purgatory, where souls purge their sins to reach salvation.
In Paradiso, guided by Beatrice (a symbol of divine love), Dante ascends through nine celestial spheres toward the Empyrean, where he beholds the vision of God.
Themes: Justice, morality, sin, redemption, divine love, and cosmic harmony. The poem blends theology, philosophy, politics, and personal experience.

I purchased an abridged version as a play as an audiobook, from Apple Books (about 50 minutes) but it is available for free on YouTube.

I’m not sure what I’ll read next. My list of “To be read”is heavy on nonfiction—mostly science, technology, politics, constitutional issues, and history—but I feel need escapism. I’ll probably look for another fiction book, perhaps science fiction.

Politics

I finished writing, rewriting, and revising my long essay A Governor’s Guide to Protecting Democracy. I sent it to Boston Indivisible’s Leadership Council of (sometimes referred to as “the governors”) and received a note back saying it was too long and they would not read it. That surprised me, as it included a three-sentence executive summary with links to Chapters 6 and 7, the most essential sections.

The day before receiving that response, I had written a shorter,  1,200-word version as an op-ed for The Boston Globe. The Globe will probably reject it as too long, but it’s far shorter than the original 6,000-word essay (not counting references).

If The Globe doesn’t accept it in the next few days, I’ll consider sending the shorter version to CommonWealth Beacon or The Boston Review, though I’ll likely revise it again. I still feel I need to retain most of the action items from the original, since they form the core of the essay. The other key section explains why we must stop following laws designed to protect wealth and power and instead do what is morally necessary to reestablish democracy in America—just as the patriots of 1775 once did.

Creations

I’m not thrilled with the last frame I made—it doesn’t look as I had envisioned it.

I wish I had handled the circular component differently. If I were to redo it, I’d make the circle from a wooden rod about 0.5–1 inch in diameter, designing it so it appeared to dive through the frame’s edges at the corners and create an encompassing loop. I’m not sure I’ll revisit this project.

I continue collecting photographs for my Urban Bird Dog series. Mason, my Brittany, instinctively points whenever he spots a pigeon, sparrow, squirrel, or any other creature. I’ve been photographing these moments from behind the leash. I don’t know whether the series will amount to much, but I find it entertaining. In the photos below, we recently encountered turkeys in Cambridge and a metal sculpture of a cat.

I’ve also been working on my “chair log sculpture.” The idea wasn’t originally mine—I first saw it at a gallery in Amsterdam, and a similar piece appeared on the Somerville Community Path: a wooden chair back mounted on a tree stump. We had some old dining room chairs that were too costly to reupholster, so I repurposed them. I cut up the metal frames and set up the pieces outdoors. Hopefully, the construction adhesive will cure overnight (and no one will disturb them), allowing them to last for several years. While assembling them, several passersby stopped to thank me.

I’ve finished the design for the frame around Gail’s latest self-portrait. The painting is small—just 8” × 10”—and here’s a rendering of what I plan to build.

I’ve also designed a frame for one of her paintings of our granddaughter, but this frame will have to wait.

Finally, I have been notified that my wood platter will appear in the December issue of Fine Woodworking, in The Gallery section. I submitted the photos 1 year ago.

Entertainment

Gail and I went to the Museum of Fine Arts on a Friday evening to see an exhibit of wood sculptures. Neither of us was particularly impressed. I had also hoped to see Of Light and Air: Winslow Homer in Watercolor, but that exhibit was scheduled to open the following day. I plan to return to see it.

While we were at the MFA, I noticed a beautiful wood bench by Sam Maloof, which visitors were allowed to sit on. I bought all three of Maloof’s woodworking books about three decades ago—he was an extraordinary furniture maker who left a lasting mark on the craft.

The Harvard Book Store in Harvard Square (unaffiliated with Harvard University) hosts frequent author talks. In conjunction with Harvard’s science department, we attended a talk on Memory by Steve Ramirez and another on the Big Bang by Niayesh Afshordi. The first was fascinating—it described how researchers can alter memories in rats and even create false memories in rats. The second talk was less successful, as the interviewer harshly criticized the author’s writing style, making the interview uncomfortable for the audience.

Social

We’ve had many social events lately. We had dinner with M & E at Mooncusser, a prix fixe restaurant—expensive but the food was extraordinary, both visually and gastronomically. We also had dinner at S & D’s newly renovated home, which looks great after two years of work, and later hosted S (the same S) and E at our house. The conversation was enjoyed by everyone.

We also hosted our annual Somerville neighborhood potluck dinner, which takes place every October and April. About 18 people came and people stayed late, a sign that everyone was enjoying themselves.

I’ve held one retirees’ brunch group so far this month, with another tomorrow and a third next Wednesday—each a mostly distinct group of people.

Of course, my Thursday cycling group continues, weather permitting. It’s getting colder in Boston, so I expect it will taper off in the next month or two. Once temperatures consistently fall below 43°F, I’ll pause it until spring.

We’ve had a beautiful autumn this year even though the preceding months were quite dry and the predictions for the colors was not encouraging. Most of the leaves are now off the trees and winter is beginning to settle in; last night it dropped below freezing for the first time- need to consider putting on my snow tires.

Life continues to treat Gail and me well. We’re expecting two new grandchildren—one in November and one in April—though both will live in the San Francisco Bay Area. I have no plans to move there; I’m quite content in Somerville but Gail may go visit a month at a time.

Th-th-th-that’s all, folks!

November 1, 2025

As I mentioned before, I am reading The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon, published in 2000. The book won multiple awards, including the Pulitzer Prize and the New York Society Library Book Award.

For those unfamiliar with the novel, it tells the story of two Jewish cousins, both about twenty years old, living in New York City in 1940. (I’m about halfway through the book.) Joe Kavalier was sent by his family from Prague to the United States as the Nazis were taking over. His family sold everything they had and their entire savings to send him abroad, leaving behind his mother (a neurologist), his father (an endocrinologist), his grandmother, and his younger brother Thomas.

Joe moves in with his cousin Sam Clay and they share a bed in NYC. Together they go into the comic book business—Joe as the artist and Sam as the businessman. Together they create The Escapist, a superhero who rescues people captured by the Nazis. The comics are filled with images of Nazis being heroically disassembled and defeated by The Escapist.

Joe, desperate to save his family, pours his anguish into these drawings. Over time, he realizes that his art has not and will not achieved its goal, and feels compelled to do more.

I find this story incredibly personally relevant. The Nazis of 1930s-40s, Trumpism today; there is a straight line from one to the other. Unfortunately the future of America, IMHO,  increasingly appears to be autocracy (not democracy!); and as there is a strong anti-Semitic, racist, homophobic, anti-immigrant, pro-Nazi contingent in the Trump party, fascism may yet be America’s future. For example, on 10/30/2025, the Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts refused to unambiguously condemn and banish GOP-supporter and former Fox News pundit Fuentes who embraces Nazism from the GOP’s inner circle.

While Joe’s drawing were seen by millions, my writings reach few and, like his, have had no impact.

Although Joe is not fearful that Nazi-ism will come to his America, I very much fear what is coming to America: we daily see the demise of democracy and an ever increasing number of unAmerican and horrific authoritarian events in America, the rise of Trump’s autocracy, and the potential for fascism in America cannot be discounted as impossible.

Below is a letter from the book, written by Joe’s mother from Prague. When Joe reads the letter, his father has already died, his younger brother Thomas is (hopefully) on a ship bound for the U.S., and his mother has become resigned to her fate. Sections in the below letter labeled “censored” were blacked out by Nazi censors before the letter left Prague.

My dear son,

It is a puzzle worthy of the best psychiatrist that a human life can be so utterly void and at the same time filled to bursting with hope. With Thomas gone we have nothing to live for, it seems, but the knowledge that he is on his way to be with you in that fortunate nation which has already so kindly received you in its bosom.

We are all as well as can be expected given Tante Lou’s fits of pique [“Tante Lou” was family code for the Nazi government of Prague]. Your grandfather has lost most of the hearing in his left ear due to an infection, and some of the use of his right ear as well. So now he dwells in a realm of shouted conversations and serene imperviousness to argument. The latter is a valuable skill to possess around our Dear Friends [i.e., the Katz family, with whom the Kavaliers shared their two-room flat], and indeed I am at times inclined to believe that Papa is simply pretending to be deaf, or at least that he arranged to become so on purpose. My wrist has not quite healed – it never may in the absence of censored diet—and is quite useless in poor weather but we have lately had a stretch of fine days, and I have continued to work on my Reinterpretation of Dreams* though paper [? smudged] is censored bother, and I am obliged to soak my old typewriter ribbons in censored.

Please, Josef, do not continue to trouble yourself or waste your time attempting to win for us what you have, with the help of your friends, been able to attain for your brother. It is enough; more than enough. Your late father, as you know, suffered from chronic optimism, but it is clear to me and to anyone not foolish or addled by deafness that we censored and that the present state of affairs will be as permanent as any of us shall require. You must make a life for yourself there, with your brother, and turn your thoughts from us and from censored.

I have not had word from you for three months, and while I am certain that you continue to write faithfully I take this silence however unintentional as a suggestion. In all likelihood this letter will not find you but if you are reading this, then please. Listen to me. I want you to forget us, Josef, to leave us behind once and for all. It is not in your nature to do so, but you must. They say that ghosts find it painful to haunt the living, and I am tormented by the idea that our tedious existence should dim or impair your enjoyment of your own young life. That the reverse situation should obtain is fair and proper, and you cannot imagine how I delight in picturing you standing on some bright, busy street corner in that city of freedom and swing music. But for you to waste another moment in worrying about us in this city of censored! No.

I shall not write again unless I have news of which you cannot fairly be deprived.

Until then you must know, dear one, that you are in my thoughts every instant of my waking life and in my (clinically quite uninteresting) dreams as well.

Fondly, 

Mother

Fortunately, I had no relatives that I am aware of who are directly affected by the Nazis. My grandparents came to the US in the early 1900s to escape the pograms of Eastern Europe. Nevertheless, my parents (apparently) have hardwired into my brain a fear of authoritarianism.

I finally finished my essay A Governor’s Guide to Protecting Democracy, which is a list of actionable steps I believe the governor of Massachusetts should institute to protect the residents of Massachusetts from the oncoming authoritarian storm. I have emailed copies of it to several prominent people, hoping they would publicize it – to no avail. I have posted it on social media – to no effect. I’ve tried to get Boston Indivisible to present it to Governor Maura Healey – without success. I emailed it to the governor’s office through the official governor’s web portal, but have received no reply. Today, I will print it to paper (all 26 pages,) and along with a cover letter, I will mailed it to her office, return receipt requested. At least I will know it reached her office.

Like Joe Kavalier, I’m not sure my words matter. But I am certain that silence is complicity.

October 23-28, 2025

I’ve spent the past few days doing a lot of political work.

As I am peripherally involved with the Boston Indivisible group,  I suggested that they arrange to meet with Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey to discuss authoritarianism. Their response was, “Why don’t you write a document addressing the purpose of the meeting and we will send it to our leadership team for review”

In response, I spent about a week writing my essay, A Governor’s Guide to Protecting Democracy. I sent it to Boston Indivisible and may eventually hear back; but I also decided it has value and I should try to get it read by someone with authority who works for the Governor. 

I have emailed it anyone I can think of who might have a connection to her office. I’ve also sent it to people with the public profile in the hopes that maybe they’ll read it.

To broaden its visibility, I created a simple graphic and posted links to the essay on Bluesky, Facebook, X, and other platforms – so far without any success.

I know the essay is long, and that is likely the reason it’s not being read, but I am proposing a very unconventional solution and believe I need to fully justify my recommendations. If I posted a summary or sound bites, it would immediately be discounted.

OneIssue.org fundraiser

Last night I attended a fundraiser for OneIssue.org at the New England Aquarium. This charitable and bipartisan organization is solely focused on strengthening American democracy—has existed for about 15 years. Their tagline is “Fix Democracy First.”

They identify these as the root causes of democratic decline:

• Money in politics
• Attacks on elections
• Misinformation (“deranged information”)
• Concentration of congressional power
• Lack of competition (only 8 % of congressional seats are competitive)
• Executive overreach
• Decline of civic institutions
• Disrespect for democratic norms

And they list these as current threats to democracy from Trump:

• Seizing power of the purse
• Attacking civil liberties
• Denying due process
• Weaponizing the DOJ
• Deploying the military in cities
• Attacking the free press
• Extorting businesses – impinging on free enterprise
• Threatening judges and judicial independence
• Eliminating oversight and inspectors general
• Monetizing the Oval Office
• Fomenting—and then pardoning—insurrection

And future threats:

• The Administration defying the Supreme Court
• The Administration deploying the military against “voter fraud”
• Trump seeking a third term
• Trump pardoning and protecting his political allies from prosecution
• Trump invoking the Insurrection Act

To this I would add:

• A blind faith that capitalism solves all problems: Unbridled Capitalism Threatens Our Health, Wealth, Education, Democracy, Planet, and Our Future
• The existence of billionaires who can literally fund the entire political campaign of a president, Senator, Congress person, judge: Tax Billionaires’ Wealth – Free the 95%
• Congressional districts that are unresponsive and poorly designed: 8,300 House of Representatives Will Help Fix America’s Democracy

Their proposed remedies rely on established democratic processes. At the top of their agenda:

• We the People Act — Restores Congress’s authority to hold presidents accountable and reinforce checks and balances.
• American Anti-Corruption Act — Reduces the influence of money in politics and strengthens election infrastructure.
• Online Freedom Act — Encourages business models that align with democratic values.

Speakers included two representatives from OneIssue and Danielle Allen, a professor of political philosophy and ethics at Harvard and a long-time democracy advocate who writes for The Atlantic and The Washington Post.

During the Q&A, I asked the final question:

“Thank you for your work on democracy. IssueOne has focused on improving democracy by following the rules which have been in place for the last four or five decades. Clearly the current administration no longer follows those rules and in tonight’s presentation you acknowledge that, despite your efforts, things have gotten much worse recently. Isn’t it time that we consider stepping outside of the rules, if we want to be effective?”

Danielle Allen asked to answer. “Let me put on my historian’s hat,” she said. She noted that American patriots in the 1770s broke political conventions, leading to the Declaration of Independence, while in Britain reformers reduced royal power through a long, lawful process. She concluded that working within the rules is the path we should pursue.

Her response drew modest applause—perhaps 20 % of the room—but it was a rather anemic endorsement. Then one of the OneIssue speakers added, “If your children were playing soccer and the other team was cheating, would you tell them to cheat too?”

I replied, “Of course not—but this is politics, not soccer—” but then the moderator ended the session and audience was directed to the New England Aquarium for hors d’oeuvres. I hate these get-to-know, networking sessions; it is so far outside my comfort zone that I almost always leave earlier-as I did.

As people stood to leave the lecture, two women near me approached to tell me they agreed with me.

After the lecture, I sought out Danielle Allen and introduced myself. I told her that I had emailed her my essay A Governor’s Guide to Protecting Democracy that moring. She said, “I recognized your name but couldn’t recall why—I’ll pull it up and read it.” (I assume this means she had already been deleted it.)

The following morning (today)  I received an email from her stating she will read it, and she connected me with her campaign manager for her organization, Coalition for Healthy Democracy, which is advocating for an open-primary system in Massachusetts. Under their proposal, all candidates for statewide, legislative, and congressional offices would compete in a single preliminary election, with the top two advancing to the general election. This would push candidates to appeal to the majority rather than the extremes—a sensible reform already used in several Massachusetts municipalities and other states.

More Politics:

In response to some of the horrific videos of ICE using violence against citizens and residents, I created a social-media post urging ICE members to contact ProPublica with insider information. 

Reading:

I am very much enjoying listening to the audiobook: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. Apparently, it has been turned into an opera, which will be done at the Metropolitan Opera in NYC in March and also broadcast on their HD broadcast. Maybe I’ll go to one of these.

I think that is enough for today.

Yesterday’s ride:

September 29 – October 11-23, 2025

HONK!

Somerville’s annual HONK! festival took place this month. A few bands performed at a local bar on Friday night (we were to tired to attend,) but Saturday is the main event—an all-day street party in Davis Square with about two dozen “brass-and-percussion, left-wing marching bands” playing from noon until 10 PM.

In prior years, HONK! attracted bands from around the world, but not this year. Because of Trump, the international bands declined to come to the U.S. Instead, one station featured a large screen and camera setup that allowed international bands to perform in their home country: their session live streamed to Somerville while a camera in Somerville broadcast images of the local dancers back to them.

I set up my Retirees for Democracy banner for a few hours on Saturday afternoon.

I received only positive comments, though the audience was obviously predisposed toward reality and democracy. I had extended and post-festival conversation with two people –  discussed below

Autumn has arrived in Massachusetts 

The autumn colors have arrived—somewhat muted due to the lack of rain, but still beautiful. I took these photographs while cycling and walking.

Designing Your Retirement Video

I finally edited the video of my MIT Club of Boston “Designing Your Retirement” lecture from October 4. From my prior talks, I found that I said “umm” way too often. AI-based advice suggested that maintaining eye contact and speaking more slowly would help. During the first hour, that worked; after the break,“umms” crept back in. I assume it was because I was talking faster, trying to get through a lot of material. I still haven’t figured out what to leave out of the lecture, as so many of the slides/scientific articles are immensely interesting to me, and I assume everybody would want to see about them.

While editing, I remove audience comments and questions (for privacy), cut-out the “umms”, and other segments that I think have low value. I know it’s cheating, but it makes the video more watchable. The original 110-minute lecture is edited down to 89 minutes and a link to is available via this webpage. 

Social Activities

While displaying my banner at HONK!, I met a gentleman with a deep knowledge of politics. A few days later we met at a local bar (at 3PM) to discuss democracy and activism. He encouraged me to contact three political organizers for advice on making RetireesForDemocracy.org more effective. 

I’m uncertain what to do with his suggestions. I told him that my strength lies in generating ideas, not in managing people, organizations, and projects. My pipe dream is that someone will appear and say, “Your RetireesForDemocracy.org concept/website is terrific—I’ll take it and run with it,” and I get to act as a behind-the-scenes advisor.

At HONK!, I also ran into a former member of one of my retirement groups. As he travels to Japan frequently he is unable to attend 50% of the sessions. So it was decided that he would drop out of the group. We met a few days later, again at a local bar to talk politics; he’s worried about the failure of democracy in America and is uncertain what he should do. I’m not sure anyone knows the “right” answer. I have posted a list of options on my Retirees For Democracy here and I think he found the conversation informative.

In my opinion, everyone who is concerned about democracy should attend pro-democracy rallies regularly—as change will come only when participation grows large enough. The alternative is the end of democracy in America –  at least for my life time.

I had one of monthly REMBrunch sessions with five attendees—our first in months. Summer gatherings often fail to reach a quorum of four because so many people are traveling. People seemed to enjoy talking to each other and 2 of the 5 are essentially new members. Three others are away.

Gail and I attended American Repertory Theater’s production of 300 Paintings with our theater friends J & B, followed by dinner and discussion. The one-man autobiographical show, about the life of an artist with bipolar disorder, and how it manifest in his art was impressive. His creative output made me envious.

Intellectual Activities

I attended an MIT lecture titled “From Thought to Movement: Helping Paralyzed People with Brain–Machine Interfaces.” He explained how his team of researchers implanted electrodes into the brains of tetraplegic patients and using AI, were able to translate their thoughts into machine actions – they could control machines just by thinking.

The talk concluded with a video of a fully paralyzed man, sitting in a lab, driving a car on a public road—still experimental, but astonishing. One amazing fact that came from this work is that if the subject is directed to move their arm, the researcher can detect signals in the subjects brain before the subject is consciously aware of their decision to move their arm. I thought this was amazing.

I found a 2023 lecture he gave on YouTube, but I did not watch it.

Politics 1: No Kings! rally

In preparation for the October 18 “No Kings” rally, I designed a fundraising poster for Boston Indivisible which they displayed it at their table. I posted it at several locations on the Boston Common, alongside my big banner, and I taped a copy to a porta-potty. People photographed the QR code in both spots—hopefully it helped raise funds.

Two friends from Portland, Oregon stayed at our house for two days and joined us at the No Kings rally wearing a frog and a penguin costume, which drew smiles everywhere.

Official estimates put Boston’s turnout at 125,000. That estimate is based on a photograph shown below of the rally site. I uploaded this to ChatGPT who estimated the turnout was between 100 and 150,000.

I think this underestimates the number of people who attended the rally by 30%. I was located at one of the park entrances, and there was a constant flow of people in and out of the Boston Common; the venue could not have accommodated all these people if they had remained in the Common at same time. 

In addition, when I walked around the Boston Common, there were areas outside the main venue that were filled with protesters as well and not visible in the above drone photo.

That evening, we had an enjoyable dinner with our Portland friends and their son—excellent conversation about politics, our lives, and their son’s career plans.

A few days after the rally, I listened to the Indivisible zoom talk “What’s Next”, but it didn’t resonate with me. As in all of the other Indivisible zoom sessions, they are celebratory speeches about how we are making a difference, geared to generate enthusiasm from younger people. It doesn’t resonate with me. I just want the facts. So, as before, I checked-out early.

The number of people who have attended these pro-democracy rallies is on an upward trend but we need at least 12 million protestors on a sustained basis if we hope to exert enough pressure to get a few Congressional Republicans to recognize that they should prioritize fealty to the Constitution (and their oath) over Trump.

Politics 2: Why Trump

In David Brooks’s recent Atlantic essay, “America Needs a Mass Movement—Now” he argues that Trump has permanently changed U.S. politics. He contends that politics grows out of social identity/community, not the reverse.

Until now, Democrats have led with policy ideas and governmental programs, and hoped the voters would reward them at the polls. That has not worked.

In distinction, Trump has built a social world based on a definition of what is a man, what is a woman, “owning the libs,” white is right, America is a christian nation, greedy is good, machoism is good, rules are for suckers, education corrupts the soul, etc. This has resonated with a substantial fraction of America, it has given them a community that they can feel comfortable in, and want to join. From this, Trump politics and policies emerge. (One day, the MAGA people will see Trump as the grifter and con man that he is – hopefully.)

Hopefully many Americans will be horrified when they see the photos of Trump’s destruction of the East Wing of the White House—the people’s house—after having publicly stating his ballroom would not damage the White House. He has no respect for our history – it was a disgraceful act.  And hopefully they will realize he is doing the same to America.

In an article I read some years ago, a TV reporter was saying horrible things about Ronald Reagan, while the TV screen showed images of Reagan riding his horse on his ranch, with the mountains in the background – a beautiful setting. One of Reagan’s political advisors called the TV reporter; the reporter thought they were about to berated, when the political advisor thanked the reporter for the news piece. The TV report said “weren’t you listening, it was a negative piece about Ronald Reagan” and Reagan’s advisors said “what you say on TV does not matter, the public only looks at the images and the images you showed of Ronald Reagan, riding a big horse, amongst the mountains – it was a fantastic photo – it is great PR, thank you.”

Recently I watched a BigTentUSA lecture featuring Senator Chris Murphy and Kerry Kennedy. Kennedy offered one of the clearest explanations I’ve heard explaining the long chain of social and economic developments that led to Trump’s rise. I have also been impressed by Senator Chris Murphy outspokenness about democracy. But, I had to leave the conversation after maybe 15 minutes, because I just could not handle any more depressing political news for the day.

Finally, I finished writing a document for Boston Indivisible in which I advocate that they should set up a meeting with the governor of Massachusetts to discuss how we (the protestors and the governor) can protect Massachusetts residents from the authoritarianism that is emanating out of Washington DC. It took me several days to write this and it’s quite long, I’m not ready to share it publicly, but maybe at some point in the future I will.

That is all for today – off to my Thursday cycling group. I will return.

September 29 – October 10, 2025

Medical Update

I had my semiannual echocardiogram and Zoom visit with my cardiologist. The structure and function of my heart remain unchanged despite my diagnosis of “severe aortic insufficiency.” He has told me that everyone with this diagnosis eventually require an aortic valve replacement within seven years—and this is my seventh year. The next echocardiogram will be done in nine months. Once I develop symptoms (such as shortness of breath with exertion) or the echocardiogram shows that the left ventricle is enlarging, and assuming I’m still healthy enough for open-heart surgery, it will be time to replace the aortic valve with a bioprosthetic valve.

My Political World

America’s political descent into authoritarianism continues to invade my consciousness far more frequently than I’d like.

I believe the upcoming No Kings Rally on October 18, 2025, will be an important harbinger of things to come for two reasons. If there is not a massive turnout, then perhaps America is telling us that the body politic is willing to forgo democracy for authoritarianism. My second concern is the increasing threat of violence precipitated by Trump’s supporters. Several days ago, I read multiple reports on Threads claiming that ICE members fired rubber bullets from rooftops at peaceful protesters in Oregon—though I can’t verify this. I’m also concerned that instigators will attempt to provoke violence at the rally so that Trump will have an excuse to invoke the Insurrection Act and take over the country. ICE’s budget now makes it among the best-funded military organizations in the world.

Given my concern, I’ve sent two emails—to my family, neighbors, friends, and subscribers—hoping to convince them to attend a rally. Based on the paucity of replies, I suspect many have given up hope.

Email Sent 9/30

To my friends, family, neighbors, and subscribers,

Donald Trump has made it abundantly clear that he will continue down his authoritarian path, and neither Congress nor the Supreme Court has shown a willingness—nor do they currently have the ability—to impede his authoritarian rampage.

As political scientist Barbara Geddes has shown in Authoritarian Breakdown, authoritarians like Trump do not voluntarily relinquish power.*

He first tried to “overstay his visa” on January 6, 2025, and has since said “I’m not joking” about serving a third term “There are methods which you could do it.” 

Trump is correct, there may be legal means that will allow him to remain in the White House beyond the end of his second term, albeit most constitutional scholars disagree. If his legal options fail, by then, he will have reconfigured America’s military and the various federal police forces so that he (or his successor) would have the physical power to remain in the White House.

If you think all of the above is delusional, then you should stop reading this email and delete it. If you wish to unsubscribe, please email me.

Many of the pro-democracy talks I have heard in the last few months, by Indivisible, 50501, ACLU, Choose Democracy, Move On, historians, and constitutional scholars, have concluded that we should not expect the Congress or the courts to thwart Trump; only a massive display of the “power of the people” can stop Trump. This will require centralized planning (in process) and a well-thought-out, four-phase master plan.

Phase 1

Create an increasingly powerful body politic that repeatedly and peacefully protests, showing Trump and his allies that his policies do not reflect the will of the majority of Americans, and “we are not afraid of you.” 

In response to this call to action, I created a large banner that I episodically display around Boston and I built RetireesforDemocracy.org. Unfortunately I never figured out how to use this organization/website effectively.

Phase 2

Once the pro-democracy movement reaches 12 million fully committed protesters, the movement will then attempt to peacefully shut down the functioning of most businesses, governmental institutions, and society at large, as Geddes notes, dictatorships like Trump’s collapse only in the face of “disastrous economic events.”*

These shut-downs may take the form of noncooperation campaigns—targeted boycotts, labor strikes, professional refusals by lawyers, doctors, civil servants, police, and soldiers.

Phase 3

It is hoped that by this time a charismatic, pro-democracy leader, with a clear vision of our future, will rise from the chaos or by election, and peacefully assume the reins of power; but this phase is not yet clearly defined in my mind’s eye.

Phase 4

After the authoritarian is forced out, democracy will remain fragile until we rebuild our democratic institutions, install new democracy guardrails, and create a democracy that works for all Americans, regardless of race, income, education, gender, religion, employment, and all our unique characteristics that make our multicultural country so amazingly effective and desirable.

This will take a lot of effort, perseverance, and years.

Lately, Boston Indivisible and other pro-democracy organizations have asked pro-democracy advocates to begin building local pro-democracy “pods,” with the intention of repeatedly attending rallies (it is safer in a pod) and engaging in other pro-democracy activities that the pod deems appropriate.

Unfortunately I have found it to be extraordinarily difficult to ask others to join my pro-democracy “pod,” because I do not know how best to lead, channel, or manage such a group.

That brings me to the ask: If anyone in the Boston area would be interested in gathering in Boston/Cambridge/Somerville for a 90-minute discussion of these issues, please reach out to me. I am hoping that the wisdom of a group might be useful to me, and perhaps to you as well.

If you live outside the Boston area, consider setting up your own pro-democracy pod.

In the immediate future, I will display my banners and my latest slogan (ABCDE) at Somerville’s Honk! Festival (10/11-12) and then at Boston’s No Kings Day 2 (10/18) 

Footnote:

Barbara Geddes, “Authoritarian Breakdown,” Department of Political Science, UCLA (January 2004).

https://pages.ucsd.edu/~mnaoi/page4/POLI227/files/page1_11.pdf

Slogan:

A LL
B ILLIONAIRES
C ORRUPT
D EMOCRACY
Easy as ABCD…
The solution: https://ihaveanidea.us/taxwealth/
✅ Tax billionaires’ wealth
✅ Shrink their fortunes & political power
✅ Eliminate taxes for 95% of Americans
✅ Return America to We the People

In response to my email, one of my neighbors organized a meeting of four people who were interested in creating a “pod,” as discussed in my September 30 email. I’m not optimistic that this will amount to anything beyond an initial joint expression of concern.

I sent a second email to friends and family on October 8, 2025 (see below). This, too, resulted in mostly radio silence from the recipients, deepening my sense of political pessimism.

Email Sent 10/8

To my friends, family, neighbors, and subscribers,

I am visiting the Rijsk Museum in Amsterdam, which has a remarkable collection of paintings, sculptures, furniture, and objects dating back to 1100. 

The item that most captured my attention was a simple, embroidered handkerchief – not great art, but definitely an item of personal interest.

Here is a photo of the handkerchief, which measures about 12” x 12” and the museum’s label: 

‘Camp Reichenbach’
Embroidered Handkerchief, by Agatha Abrahamina (Atie) Siegenbeek van Heukelom (1913-2002), cotton and silk, 1944
After being imprisoned in Amsterdam, Atie Siegenbeek was transferred through Camp Vught (Netherlands) and then Ravensbrück to the Reichenbach concentration camp. There, she was forced to work in an underground electronics factory. Recording these daily camp scenes, embroidered on a wash cloth, was an act of resistance. The scenes, accompanied by captions, criticized the camp regime. It was crucial that she not be caught with this handkerchief by a camp guard.

I know you have received more emails from me about democracy than you desired; and for that I apologize. 

But every day I awake, and worry that my kids and grandkids are going to have to live in a world like the one inhabited by Atie Siegenbeek.

I can’t sit quietly and let this happen. 

While I, and many others, believe democracy is already in America’s rear view mirror, see: competitive authoritarianism/NYTimes, judicial system/NYTimes, and ICE/ProPublica, I still believe, that the efforts of the many pro-democracy Americans will ensure that we prevent this catastrophe from happening. 

Erica Chenoweth and Maria J. Stephan have studied authoritarianism and found that pro-democracy movements are most likely to succeed when 3.5% of the population (11 million Americans) repeatedly participate in nonviolent, pro-democracy campaigns. 

As of yet, we remain far short of 11 million rally participants.

In an effort to intimidate and silence America’s pro-democracy voices, Trump has begun deploying his personal army (ICE, National Guard, US military) in our cities.

Your can help thwart Trump’s authoritarian play by attending one of the upcoming pro-democracy No Kings rallies on 10/18/25, that will take place in more than 2,150 cities.

If we all act now, we can show Trump, his enablers, our judges, civil servants, and the US military that Americans overwhelmingly want to peacefully end this authoritarian nightmare, and now may be their last chance to choose to be on the right side of history.

If we don’t act now, it will not be long before Trump abolishes our right to protest — as has occurred in every modern authoritarian regime — from Russia and China to Turkey, Hungary, Iran, Venezuela, and Egypt — where citizens who once marched freely now risk imprisonment.

Please attend a No Kings rally on Saturday, October 18 at one of the ten “Anchor City” sites: San Francisco, Boston, New York City, Washington DC, Kansas City, Chicago, Atlanta, New Orleans, Bozeman, and Honolulu, where 10s-100s of thousands will assemble. If an Anchor City location is not an option, join a local No Kings rally, as there will be a rally within driving distance of your home. Definitely encourage a friend or two to join you – numbers matter!

Boston’s rally will take place on the Boston Common, noon-3 PM. If you attend, please look for my banner and stop by to say hello.  

Some people may believe that their circumstances will forever protect their families from the terror of the authoritarian state. Before you get too comfortable, I suggest you reread Martin Niemoeller‘s poem.

I Refuse to Stay Silent. Will You? is an eloquent essay about the state of democracy in America. Please share it with your friends.

Thank you for your time,

Social Activities

One of my monthly retiree brunch groups (“ReeBrunch, Too”) met, and all eight members attended. Everyone appeared to enjoy themselves. Because of my trip to Amsterdam, discussed below, I had to cancel the other “ReeBrunch” group that meets the following week.

I had another one of my Thursday MIT cycling rides. Five of us started, but two turned around at the halfway mark. I had to cancel the subsequent cycling session because I was in Amsterdam.

Arts and Entertainment

Gail and I saw Central Square Theater’s Silent Sky, which was delightful. It’s a play about Henrietta Leavitt, who was hired to work as a “human computer” at Harvard’s Astronomical Observatory.

Henrietta Swan Leavitt (1868–1921) was an American astronomer who worked at the Harvard College Observatory tasked with measuring photographic plates of stars and cataloging their positions and brightness. In 1912, she discovered that a certain type of blinking stars—Cepheids—the brightness of a star correlated with the period of its blinking. From this information, there is a simple formula to calculate the distance from earth to the blinking Cepheid. In 1924, using Leavitt’s equation, Edwin Hubble discovered that the Milky Way was not the entire universe but only one of many galaxies and the universe was far larger than anyone had imagined; except for Immanuel Kant who, in 1755 (In Universal Natural History and Theory of the Heavens) proposed that the Milky Way was a vast, rotating disk of stars and that other faint nebulae were likely “island universes” beyond the Milky Way—a remarkably prescient idea, more than a century before Edwin Hubble confirmed the existence of other galaxies.

Intellectual and Volunteer Activities

I gave my Designing Your Retirement lecture on September 27, 2025, to the Cambridge Center for Adult Education, as mentioned in my prior posting.

I delivered the same talk to the MIT Club of Boston (MITCOB) on October 4, 2025, with about 17 attendees. Since November 2023, I have given this talk 15 times.

Aggregating feedback from the 9/27 and 10/4 talks, attendees answered the question:

“Would you recommend this talk to your peers?”
• No: 0
• Maybe: 2 (12%)
• Yes: 16 (88%)

These favorable statistics convinced me to schedule another presentation on 2/21/26 and maybe one the following week.

I also may post the recording of the October 4 MITCOB presentation on my blog in the near future.

House Renovations

We’ve hit a bit of a roadblock with the Somerville Zoning Commission. As I understand it, they won’t approve our plan because they dislike a feature on the front of the house (which also appears on the side and back), even though the feature is legal under their written guidelines—and another house in our neighborhood is currently under construction with the same feature. It remains unclear how we’ll proceed. Gail favors redesigning the feature, but I want to appeal to the Zoning Appeals Board.

Our 40th Anniversary

We were married on October 5, 1985—forty years ago!

Our anniversary present to ourselves was a four-night stay at The Pulitzer Hotel, located in Amsterdam’s central canal belt (Grachtengordel)—the semicircle of canals surrounding the old city center. This trip, like almost all of our trips, was entirely organized by Gail. Here is Gail’s schedule of events:

Sunday, October 5, 2025

Flight departed Boston 9:30 PM for Amsterdam.

Monday, October 6, 2025

We arrived in Amsterdam at 2 PM local time and took a train from the airport to Central Station, then walked one mile to our hotel. We spent the day walking (7.3 miles) around the old city to get oriented in space and time.

Tuesday, October 7, 2025

We visited the Risjk Museum, which features items dating back to 1100. There was far too much to see in one day. As we typically do, we went our separate ways in the museum—I usually listen to music as I walk around, Gail sometimes listens to the audio-tours. We spent about 4.5 hours in the museum, with a 30–45-minute lunch break. Obviously, we both really enjoyed the museum. 

For me, the embroidered napkin discussed and photo above was the most impactful object.

I was amazed by this tiny (4–6”) carved wooden sculpture (c. 1490–1510):

Dysmas and Gestas, Lower-Rhine (Cleves?), c.1490-1510, boxwood

These spectacular carvings show Dysmas and Gestas, the good and bad thieves who were crucified on the left and right of Christ. They come from what must have been an exceptionally detailed and costly Crucifixion scene. The expressive poses and virtuoso carving technique – including the slender ropes that bind them – place them among the masterpieces of Netherlandish miniaturist art

I also liked this imagined landscape, painted in 1535, because of its historical significance and the fact that the entire image is conjured up in the painter’s brain:

Landscape with an Episode from the Conquest of America, Jan Jansz Mostaert (c. 1474-1552/53), Haarlem, c. 1535 oil on panel

Habsburg emperor Charles V reigned over a realm on which the sun never set.It encompassed much of Europe, including Spain and the Low Countries, parts of Central America and the Caribbean. This is the first painting to depict Spanish soldiers subduing the people who lived there. Mostaert added some elements to give his traditional European landscape an exotic ambience: a monkey, a porcupine and parrots.(It should be mentioned that the painter never visited the “new world” so it was painted based on his ?conversations with and ?writings by  people who had visited the new world???)

Another favorite of mine was this double portrait (1482–1485), as it captured a moving father-son relationship:

Portraits of Giuliano and Francesco, Giamberti da Sangallo, Piero di Cosimo (1462-1522), Florence, 1482-1485 oil on panel

This exceptional diptych shows the leading Florentine architect Giuliano da Sangallo and his recently deceased father Francesco, who was an architect as well as a musician. These are among the earliest portraits to characterize their sitters by profession: a pen and compass allude to architecture, the sheet music to music. Both disciplines are based on notions of harmony and proportion.

There were several variations of the paintings that showed on or more local militia men. This massive painting from 1643 left me impressed as a statement of wealth, privilege, and pride:

Militia Company of District VIlI in Amsterdam under the Command of Captain Roelof Bicker, Bartholomeus van der Helst (1613-1670), oil on canvas, c. 1643

Civilians also served as armed guardsmen to defend their cities. The wealthiest among them were eager to have their portraits included in large civic guard paintings. This painting originally hung in the same hall of the Kloveniersdoelen (Arquebusiers’ Head-quarters) as Rembrandt’s Night Watch. We know everyone’s name except for the boy carrying a red cloak in the middle. He is the servant of the man beside him, holding a staff.

Of course, there were many others objects that caught my eye, too many to enumerate.

We walked 8.1 miles that day.

Wednesday, October 8, 2025

In the morning, we visited the Van Gogh Museum. Gail and I have seen many Van Gogh exhibits, including those at the British Museum, the MFA, and elsewhere. These experiences took the edge off from our visit to the Van Gogh Museum, as we have seen many of his greatest hits previously

After Vang Gogh, Gail went to the Anne Frank House while I visited the Stedelijk Museum of contemporary and modern art.

In the evening, we took a canal boat ride (9:30–11 PM). We learned that Amsterdam’s fresh water canals were hang-dug, (instead of roads), beginning in the 13th century, and greatly expanded in the 17th-19th century, both as a defense, to drain swampy land/water management, and to facilitate the movement of goods between merchants’ warehouses and seagoing ships.

We walked 7.9 miles that day.

Thursday, October 9, 2025

We intended to wake at 8 AM for a 10 AM visit to the Moca Museum but slept until 11 AM. The museum had been recommended by our daughter. I greatly enjoyed Moco, especially a video installation of flowing flowers and a Banksy lithograph.

After Moco, we walked to the Rembrandt House Museum. Along the way, we passed innumerable art galleries. At one, @Droog, I saw a structure that resonated with me—it reminded me of three large logs along the Somerville Community Path that Calder and I had arranged into a semicircle for sitting. I think I’ll modify one of those logs with chair backs, à la @Droog.

We then visited the Rembrandt House Museum, Rembrandt, 1606-1669). It was fascinating to see his studio and work environment. However, his paintings are extremely dark and that diminishes their value in my eyes. The darkness is largely due to four centuries of aging and some poor restoration work.

Gail got a chance to sit in a chair that was used by Rembrandt’s students, in the floor adjacent to his studio.

That evening, Gail and I enjoyed an elegant dinner at Jansz.

We walked 7.6 miles.

My Thoughts on Amsterdam

So what did I think of Amsterdam?  It was cloud-covered all the time, save maybe 4-6 hours – and that cast a pale on us. Navigating the cobblestone sidewalks, while avoiding pedestrians, cars, and cyclist is more challenging than walking around Somerville! – and neither of us liked that. There were innumerable cafés, restaurants, clothing stores, jewelry stores, art/craft stores, some small “supermarkets,” a fair number of American corporate stores – and some areas were overly (overtly!) commercial. I am glad I went, but once is enough.

Friday, October 10, 2025

Our flight left Amsterdam at 11:30 AM and we arrived home around 2 PM. I immediately returned to the picture frame I’d been working on for several weeks—what I call “my Embrace Frame”—designed so that the circular element echoes Calder’s embrace of our granddaughter. I installed Gail’s painting and the frame is done, other than I need a better photo.

I’m looking forward to Honk! this weekend (October 11–12) and to No Kings Day next Saturday (October 18), when I intend to display my “Wake Up America—Fascism Has Come to the USA” banner at both events.

September 3-29, 2025

It’s been three, nearly four, weeks since my last diary entry; my only excuse is that I’ve been busy, distracted, and/or lacked the motivation to add to this diary. But I still want to go forward with it.

I grouped all my events over the last 3-4 weeks into several categories: socializing, democracy activities, intellectual activities, creative activities, entertainment, health; we’ll see what comes of this.

Socializing
I have continued my efforts to expand my circle of acquaintances, friends, and meaningful social relationships.

As occurred in prior summers, many of my retiree brunch groups did not meet in July-August-September because we did not have a quorum (≥4) – people were traveling or away for the summer. Fortunately it looks like we will resume our monthly gatherings beginning next Wednesday—the first Wednesday of October—and I’m very much looking forward to those sessions.

So what have I done for socializing in the last 3-4 weeks?

My cycling group met twice and cycled our usual 20 mile route, with 3 and 6 participants. I had to cancel it once as I was attending a conference.

I attended a family dinner at my sister-in-law’s house with many members of the clan.

One of my retiree brunch groups did meet, once, with 5 attendees.

I had a friend from medical school visit for three days.

Gail had arranged for us to spend two nights at a hotel in Deer Isle, Maine. On the way up, we stopped at M & E’s cottage. It is located on a small lake in an idyllic setting. Gail and E went for a swim and we talked over lunch. M is in my REMBrunch group, and we’ve socialized with both of M & E on several occasions—they are fun to talk to.

The remaining 90-minute drive from our home to Maine became problematic after our lunch; Gail got motion sick from the curvy coastal road, which goes up and down little hills while simultaneously twisting left and right along the ocean’s edge. Gail insisted that I keep driving even though she was miserable. I didn’t feel there was much I could do to help, other than offer to stop the car so she could walk around, but she was adamant I keep going.

When we arrived Sunday 4 or 5 PM, she immediately went to sleep and slept until the next day.

Although she felt better Monday morning, she was not completely back to normal. We avoided the car all day and instead did a short hike to a beautiful lake in the woods. All the stores were closed, because it was Monday, and the holiday season had already passed. At sunset, we walked to a beach and chatted with some tourists and locals. For dinner, we found a restaurant within walking distance. Although we arrived at the restaurant at 7 PM, the food wasn’t served until 8 PM.

On Tuesday, we drove we packed-up the car and drove to a conservation area (marshland) on our way to Stonington, a typical New England harbor town. Gail did the driving on Deer Isle and on our way home until we got back to the main roads, when I took over.

Yesterday I forced myself to follow my own Designing Your Retirement advice, which is to “just say yes” to every opportunity – the MIT Club of Boston Annual Volunteers’ Appreciation Picnic. I run three activities for the MIT Club of Boston—three monthly retiree brunch groups and a weekly cycling group. As I really don’t like meeting strangers or networking with strangers, I decided I needed to force myself attend (Just say yes!). Gail was away on a trip to the Cape with her sisters, so I was on my own.

One of the conversations that I became involved in was a discussion about the (transient) censorship of the Jimmy Kimmel. While none of the participants in the conversation were Trump supporters, some felt that Jimmy Kimmel had “crossed a line.” I watched the Jimmy Kimmel show which was the cause of the censorship and I don’t believe he said anything inappropriate. Maybe the MAGA people thought it was inappropriate for Kimmel to state that MAGA people were “doing everything they can” to absolve MAGA and pin the blame on the political left – which was factually correct. Maybe Trump/MAGA were upset because Kimmel ran a video of Trump answering a question “How are you doing” one day after the murder. In the video clip, Trump shows a complete lack of empathy and says something like “I am doing OK. Did you see how beautiful the ballroom is?” I just don’t understand the outrage, and I don’t understand why this group of MIT alumni felt that Kimmel had crossed a line. Unfortunately, our conversation got cut short and ended without resolution.

At the MIT Club of Boston picnic, I met Michael, who runs the MIT Club of Boston’s monthly “Mid and Late Career Brunch.” Much to my surprise, he told me he had been inspired to set up this activity as a result of my three monthly retirees’ brunch groups. THAT made me feel good!

I am glad I went to MIT Club of Boston Volunteer Appreciation picnic.

Democracy
The murder of Charlie Kirk was of great concern to me, as I was certain it would catalyze Trump to institute additional authoritarian measures, and further set back democracy. Unfortunately, those concerns have played out. I wrote a letter to friends, family, and others expressing these concerns—a variation of the email can be read at Charlie Kirk and Free Speech—and I asked them to step up their involvement in defending our democracy.

I wrote another essay for my blog, I’m Not Joking About a Third Term! but I did not “advertise” this essay to my readers. I think they have already seen too many emails from me in the last month.

Intellectual Activities
I attended the MIT Free Speech Alliance annual meeting. There seemed to be universal agreement that the way free speech has been handled on campus has been problematic, exacerbated by the Hamas–Israeli conflict. Unfortunately, there is a lot of retrospective finger pointing about how things should’ve been handled differently. Of course, it is easy to know what should’ve been done in retrospect, but this knowledge is frequently not obvious in real time.

There was also a general consensus that the concept of “safe spaces” for students to avoid conflict is contrary to the purpose of college and university professors are not being (appropriately) protected by their universities from complaints lodge against them by students.

I should point out, though it wasn’t discussed, that MIT had/has a room where women can get away from men, and Cornell had/has a dormitory reserved for Black Americans. Maybe there’s a difference between conflicts arising from intellectual disagreements versus ethnic differences. I’m not certain, but I do understand how members of minority groups might need time away from incessant attacks on their identity, for their own mental health.

I also attended three keynote lectures at the MIT Alumni Leadership Conference, given by three Nobel Laureates in economics. Some of the conversation revolved around the mechanics and consequences of having won the Nobel Prize, but the lectures themselves focused more on ideas, including an explanation as to how economists can draw information regarding causality from data that is only a correlation. I can’t say I understood how they achieved this, but having a way to do this would be immensely valuable – and is likely the reason they were awarded a Nobel prize.

I gave another one of my Designing Your Retirement lectures yesterday, the 14th time. I categorize this activity as both an intellectual activity, a volunteer activity, and as aligning with my “purpose” in life, which is to “make the world a better place.” The last time I gave this talk was four months ago, and I needed a lot of time to get back up to speed. I began preparing almost two weeks ahead of time, but for the first five days I essentially did nothing – sometimes I need the “fear of failure” to motivate me to act. The talk went extremely well. All six attendees liked it very much, and one of them had attended the talk previously and felt he needed a refresher. The positive response convinced me once again that the lecture has value and that I should continue giving it. My next scheduled event is October 4, but I have nothing planned after that. I should put something on the calendar.

Entertainment:
I saw the play Passengers at the American Repertory Theater. It really wasn’t a play in the sense of a story—it was more like an acrobatic troupe doing stunts. While the stunts were impressive, this is not what I go to the theater for. The final stunt involved an actor hanging upside down from a pole about 20–30 feet above the ground, holding on with his legs wrapped around the pole. He then loosened his legs, slid/fell down, and re-tightened his legs around the pole, stopping about 2–4 inches above the floor. There was no spotter. I think this was incredibly reckless performance on the part of the ART. Had he slid just a few inches farther, he could easily have been killed or paralyzed. The risk associated with this stunt far outweighing any artistic benefit. If there had been a catastrophe, the American Repertory Theater might have been shut down for a long time, and the audience would’ve been traumatized. I wrote a letter to the ART but received no reply, which is typical of ART—perhaps because the play was about to finish its run.

I finished my audiobook Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky. It was a creative story that I thoroughly enjoyed. The novel won several science fiction book awards and is the first in a series of four. I don’t intend to read the other volumes, but I would highly recommend Children of Time.

Yesterday I began my next audiobook, John & Paul (anyone of a certain age will immediately recognize this as a reference to the Beatles). It’s too early to say whether I will like it.

Health
I had another echocardiogram to assess my aortic insufficiency. My reading of the result indicates that the severity of the aortic regurgitation has not gotten worse and it remains categorized as “severe”aortic insufficiency. (Note: aortic insufficiency=aortic regurgitation.) I will be meeting with my cardiologist tomorrow via Zoom to learn his thoughts. He tells me that eventually I will need the valve replaced, which is a major operation—of course if I develop dementia or some other major health problem first, then maybe I will not need the value replaced.

Creative
Finally, I am still working on a frame for Gail’s painting of Calder and Josie.

August 20-September 3, 2025

Social Events

Over the last week and a half, Gail and I enjoyed several delightful social interactions.

Two people we befriended in 1985, D & R, who have since become close friends, stayed at our Somerville home for a night. We then went to Gail’s family “cabin” in Scituate for two nights. The weather was lovely—highs around 80 with clear blue skies. We didn’t do much except eat, talk, walk the beach and to the light house, talk about our kids, and repeat. We also watched waves along the coast, generated by Hurricane Erin, which passed about 1,000 miles offshore. It is always a delight to spend time with them.

We also hosted Gail’s friends, T and Z, for two nights. They now live in Annapolis but used to live in Andover when we did. Gail and Z both paint and have taken many painting classes together. T and Z now create fish sculptures and pottery, which they sell in Annapolis art galleries, they too are retired.

Gail and I attended a Josh Ritter outdoor concert at the Lowell Summer Music Festival, a delightful venue we’ve enjoyed in the past. The concert started around 7:30 and went until about 9:30. Josh Ritter is a fantastic entertainer, creating great, original music. The venue itself is very comfortable—people sit on blankets or lawn chairs, every seat is a good seat, and the show begins shortly after sunset, continuing into complete darkness. The changing light over the course of the performance makes the event especially enjoyable.

I again had to cancel one of my monthly brunch groups, as we did not have a quorum (≥4). I had to cancel another last month. This has happened last summer, when people travel it becomes difficult to get a quorum. I suspect that the groups will be fully attended henceforth, until next summer. I certainly hope so.

Political Events

While America continues to slide into authoritarianism, there have been a few successes in the courts—but those rulings are on hold until the Supreme Court weighs in. If the. Justices continue to support Trump, it will again prove that the Trump-appointed justices are willing to ignore judicial precedent and the Constitution in their quest to enshrine “The Unitary Executive Theory” as the foundation for an authoritarian – fascist America.

Although I’ve added to my RetireesForDemocracy.org website—by linking to the national organization Big Tent USA—I haven’t yet figured out how to make R4D effective.

I tried to get Boston Indivisible to have a conversation about the data in the book Holding Together—a data driven analysis of what Americans really believe and hope their government will do for them—but the authors were not interested in talking to BIND. So I failed again.

I keep trying to create something that will impact the national dialogue. Most recently, it was my essay Tax Billionaires’ Wealth – Free the 95% and a related social media campaign:

——

A LL
B ILLIONAIRES
C ORRUPT
D EMOCRACY
E asy as ABCD…

The Plan: Tax Billionaires’ Wealth – Free the 95%

✅ Tax billionaires’ wealth
✅ Shrink their fortunes & political power
✅ Eliminate taxes for 95% of Americans
✅ Return America to We the People

——

But my efforts at creating viral meme have so far failed. But I haven’t yet given up.

I attended Boston’s Labor Day event on 9/1, which had a good-sized crowd. I set up my banner, but once again, I don’t sense any shift in public opinion about Trump.

This is what I expect to happen on the political front:

If more Americans attend rallies against Trump, next rally is No Kings on Oct 18, he will eventually attack these protesters using his private military force (recently funded in his BBB) under the pretext that they are violent demonstrations. Protesters will get arrested and hurt. Maybe the public will rally in support of peaceful protesters—or maybe they’ll view the protesters as violent (the rally organizers always stress non-violent protests but worry about violent pro-trump agitators) and rally behind Trump. If the latter happens, (and it may as Trump has begun to deploy his private military force among civilians,) fascism will become entrenched in America.

The academic literature on combating fascism is not encouraging: the data shows that it typically takes a decade of sustained political opposition to remove a fascist leader. And even then, only about 51% of them ultimately leave power.

Miscellaneous

I finally forced myself to migrate my blog, IHaveAnIdea.us, from Network Solutions’ slow, dysfunctional server to a new host, SiteGround, which is definitely faster. I’m very glad I finally made the switch. The process took a lot of time, and until I confirmed the new site actually worked, I was never sure of the outcome.

I recently finished reading Isaac Asimov’s The End of Eternity (1955). Compared to many popular contemporary science fiction books, Asimov’s novel puts modern sci-fi writers to shame. It’s a brilliant story about humanity’s hubris, the dangers of letting an elite group control humanity’s destiny, the risks of unchecked technology, and the necessity of facing the unknown – without a guarantee of safety – in order to allow for Homo sapiens to evolve and fulfill its potential.

The book, written in 1955, foreshadowed predictive modeling, the timeless storage an processing of massive amounts of information, instant global communications, A/B testing, portable energy sources, and the social control of the masses by elites, ie social media.

It’s a great story. I strongly recommend it to anyone who likes science fiction. I’d also argue all sci-fi readers should read the classics, starting with Frankenstein (1818).

August 9-20, 2025

Politics

I received an email inviting me to attend a monthly pro-democracy rally at Coolidge Corner. This event was sponsored by a group called “seniors for democracy,” although they don’t have a website. As I arrived early, I set up remotely from their location as my banner would dominate their space. Several people from their rally came over to me to talk. One person told me that my banner was generating a lot of “comments.” I’m not exactly sure if the comments were favorable or not, but I believe that any PR is good PR. Of course, the vast majority of the people who live near Coolidge Corner are progressives, so the best one could hope is that the rally encouraged sympathetic non-participants to attend a rally.

I also displayed my banner at the busiest T stop – South Station – during a Friday morning rush hour. Unfortunately there was not as much pedestrian traffic as I had hoped.

I also displayed my banner at the busiest T stop – South Station – during a Friday morning rush hour. Unfortunately there was not as much pedestrian traffic as I had hoped.

I also chalked a message on the street in Davis Square, but someone washed it off within 2 days.

On 8/14 I submitted my essay Tax Billionaires’ Wealth – Free the 95% to the Boston Globe. If I do not hear from them by 8/20, I will send it to the Washington Post.

I listened to a Zoom talk, sponsored by  “https://bigtentusa.org/” given by Stacey Abrams & Heather Cox Richardson. Big Tent USA message is:

It’s Not Partisan.
It’s Democracy.
Join the Movement to Protect American Democracy.
Welcome to BigTentUSA – a moderate, inclusive, and collaborative community empowering citizens to take action.

This is very similar to my RetireesForDemocracy.org

Retirees for Democracy (R4D) is a nonpartisan coalition of retired Americans solely dedicated to re-establishing, strengthening, and protecting democracy in the United States. We stand apart from other pro-democracy organizations by focusing exclusively on defending democracy—without endorsing or opposing any unrelated political positions.

Both Stacey and Heather talked about fascism, the former talking about her activities to counter Trump‘s destruction of democracy, and a latter explaining how the individual activities fit into a coherent attack. Although I learned a few isolated facts, there was nothing about the big picture that was new to me. 

One isolated “fact” was the Powell Memo authored by Lewis F. Powell Jr. and delivered confidentially on August 23, 1971, to Eugene B. Sydnor Jr., chair of the Chamber of Commerce’s Education Committee, it lays out a strategic, multifaceted program urging corporate America to proactively shape public opinion and institutions—ranging from legal systems and universities to the media—to defend against perceived ideological threats (e.g., socialism, communism, fascism). It is widely regarded as a foundational document that galvanized the conservative movement and led to the creation of influential think tanks and advocacy networks, such as The Heritage Foundation, Cato Institute, ALEC, the Business Roundtable, and Fox News. (ChatGPT)

I was also encouraged to hear them argue that the news media has miserably failed to explain to the public the big picture behind Trump’s activities. For a few months, I have been posting on social media, mostly Bluesky, occasionally X, that PBS’s Washington Week with the Atlantic has failed to explain to the public that the individual authoritarian events are part of a much larger plan to eradicate democracy in America, and consolidate power under a much empowered presidency. Even today, so many people think that our current political state is just a bump in the road when in fact, it’s the launching pad to a fascist regime that will be with us for decades. Of course, if you are struggling to feed your family, democracy is not something that is on your radar. And that is the way the fascist hope to keep it.

CYCLING

I did a few sunrise rides down the Minuteman bikeway to Bedford and then on to Concord, about 30 miles, while listening to my audiobook. In Concord, there were a few houses that had this sign… 

These pre-dawn rides are among my favorite; I leave my house about 30 or 60 minutes before sunrise and get to Lexington’s Great Meadow in time to watch the sun rise. Part of the reason I ride so early is that it is 90° and I want to get home before it gets too hot. 

Yesterday I did a 65 mile solo ride, home to Bedford, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Lowell, Andover, North Reading and home. I am now about 77% through my book Hyperion, discussed below.

Learning in Retirement

I had it in my calendar that I should sign up for the Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement program, which is now taking applications until October 20. When I retired, I applied and got put on their waitlist, but I haven’t reapplied. Although I think it would be interesting and fun, I’m concerned that it would require too much of a time commitment and right now I am busy with other activities. Maybe I’ll come back to this in the future. I hope I’m making the right decision.

On another front, I have so far failed miserably to learn how to juggle 3 balls – I can’t seem to discipline myself enough to spend the time needed to learn how to do this. The three juggling balls stare me in the face every day.

Socializing

I’ve had three social events since my last diary entry. Both the monthly REEBrunch group and my weekly  MIT Club of Boston Thursday cycling group meet, with 4-5 attendees at each event. I think all participants enjoyed themselves.

As an experiment, I decided to bring together my three monthly brunch groups and attendees of the weekly cycling group for brunch at our house. I invited 22 and 13 attended. Most of the others were away on vacation. With “plus 1” we had 18 guests show on Sunday from 1AM-noon, and nearly everyone stayed until noon. It took us a fair amount of effort and time to gather everything we needed and set up the house but it worked out amazingly well. Gail overheard somebody say that it was the among the “best two hours” they spent recently and two others were considering scheduling a followup event in the future. One couple, who spend their summers in Maine, came down to attend. Clearly, people enjoyed the socialization. 

As most of these people did not know each other, Gail and I decided to encourage everybody to wear a name tag and I think this was a great way to facilitate conversation.

Shortly before I retired I began my research that led to my Designing Your Retirement syllabus. The first thing I learned was that meaningful social relations were a key one’s happiness and health. So I began retirement with the goal of expanding the number of my social relationships.

I can now say definitively that these efforts have been a resounding successful. 

However, as I have also learned in my research, maintenance of social relationships requires ongoing cultivation. For example, I recently had to inform two people in my REMBrunch group that if they couldn’t commit to attending 50% of the sessions then they would have to resign from the group; and they both left. I have since recruited two new members but as of today, not all current members have met each other, and that won’t happen until the fall, when the summer traveling is in the rearview mirror.

I am optimistic about the REMBrunch’s future, as it is a very interesting and honorable group of people. As there won’t be a meeting of all of us until Sept or Oct, I had everybody write a short bio which I distributed to all. Hopefully this will expedite us getting to know each other.

Creations

I had previously mentioned that I purchased some rough, incompletely air-dried walnut, Since I’ve had the wood it has been arranged in front of a fan and the water content has dropped from 15% to about 9%. It is likely ready for the next stage, when it will be planed to a uniform thickness and cut roughly to size.  Although there will likely be some more shrinkage as the water content drops, I’m not too worried given the design of this project. The goal is water content 6-8%.

I haven’t moved ahead with this frame project as I am still uncertain whether I want to make option #1, 3, or 6. The design of the frame is intended to mimic/emphasize the father’s embrace of his child. My instinct is to make option #1 or #3, but I still like #6 – but that will require the use of a lot more walnut. 

Yesterday, I recreated my blue whale silhouette on the Somerville Community Path – and again I am amazed at the size of a blue whale. The whale is so large that it is not possible to photograph it without climbing up into a tree – which I will not do. The schematic will wash away after 1 or 2 rains, as the silhouette is done using spray chalk. 

Reading

I finished listening to Fourth Wing, by Rebecca Yarros. I rated it 4/5, “An entertaining story with an excellent reader who made it even better.”

I have begun listening to my next science fiction audiobook, Hyperion by Dan Simpson. It won the Hugo Award and Locus Award for Best Science Fiction in 1990. I am enjoying it, but have listened to only about a third of the story. I only allow myself to listen to the story if I am either cycling or walking – and a good book provides an incentive to do one of the other.

July 22 – August 8, 2025

7/21/2025

I attended the “Crimson Courage” rally at the Moakley Federal Courthouse in Boston. This rally, organized by Harvard affiliates, supported Harvard in its legal battle with the Trump administration. On this day, the federal court was hearing Harvard’s argument that the administration’s blocking of federal funds was illegal.

According to news reports after the hearing, the judge seemed sympathetic to Harvard’s case. Still, if recent history is any guide, the Boston judge will likely rule in Harvard’s favor—only to have higher courts stay the order and delay resolving the issue for many months. Ultimately, it will probably end up at the Supreme Court, which, based on past patterns, is likely to issue a “shadow docket” ruling in Trump’s favor without explanation.

Of course, I displayed my large banner, which drew a little bit of attention, but not much.

Also on the political front, albeit out-of-order: On August 8, a federal appeals court ruled 2–1 in favor of Trump, blocking a lower court judge from issuing contempt of court citations against Department of Justice lawyers for lying to Judge Boasberg in his court. The contempt ruling had been supported by two other judges, but the appeals court delayed its decision for months, allowing Trump’s lawyers to continue misleading other judges. The ACLU may pursue other options, but it seems increasingly clear that the courts are siding with Trump.

Remarkably, but maybe not, DOJ filed misconduct charges against Judge Boasberg for his contempt of court referral.

Of particular concern is that some judges now appear afraid to rule against Trump fearing threats of violence directed against them and their families—threats the DOJ, which is tasked with protecting judges, has failed to adequately address. Judges are reportedly considering forming their own protection organization because they no longer trust the DOJ to protect the judges. Those interested, you can read more at the lawyers’ and judges’ group called Speak Up for Justice.

_________________

7/22/2025

The Boston Indivisible group hosted a Zoom talk by Sebastian Junger titled How to Talk to Conservatives and Veterans About Dissent. My takeaway: it’s important to first establish rapport and find common values, ideally agreeing on a specific grievance or harm done to a particular group, before addressing other issues with veterans. For example, Afghan translators who risked their lives for U.S. soldiers and were promised immigration to the United States are now being denied residency and deported – a cause for concern among veterans who fought in Afganistan. Junger also emphasized the need to avoid identity politics, as this issue doesn’t resonate with most veterans.

_________________

7/23/2025

Looking for something different to do, Gail and I went into Boston for a suppertime snack at the waterfront of the Boston Harbor Hotel, which hosts a daily Summer in the City music series. The sound system wasn’t great, nor was the food, but it was nice to try something new. We stayed for the first act, then returned home.

_________________

7/24/2025

I hosted another MITCOB cycling event, and the turnout was excellent—seven cyclists joined me. As usual, we rode from Cambridge/Arlington, out to Bedford, returned for a snack at the Kickstand Café in Arlington, and then headed back to our starting point. Some riders peeled off along the way as they headed home. It was a good event.

_________________

7/25/2025

I needed walnut wood for a frame I’m making for one of Gail’s paintings of Calder and our granddaughter. I prefer air-dried walnut as its richer color than kiln-dried walnut, but it’s hard to find. I eventually located some at Winwood Sawmill in Winchendon, MA—about an hour’s drive. Unfortunately, the boards had cracks but I should be able to get what I need from this load. I’ve probably learned my lesson: buy kiln-dried, finished lumber from the local hardwood yard. It’s twice the price, but all of it is usable.

That evening, Gail and I hosted a Shoot the Shit Salon or Shoot the Shit Salon Soirée?

By definition: 

“A salon is for ideas, a soirée is for pleasure—though a good soirée might have sparkling conversation, and a good salon might end with champagne.”

This one leaned toward soirée. Others have been more salon-esque.

_________________

Our 10 day Sojourn in Canada 7/29-8/7/2025

Canada Road Trip  July 29 to August 7, 2025. About 2,000 miles.

7/29/2025

Gail and I left for Canada to attend the wedding of her older brother’s daughter in Halifax. We drove in my Tesla, with the dogs in back.

At the Canadian border, the officer asked how long we’d be staying. I said I didn’t know, which he clearly didn’t like. I explained I was retired and had no deadlines. He then asked Gail if she was also retired. When she said yes, he waved us through.

Our first stop was St. Andrews, New Brunswick. The hotel was an attempt at a grand resort in the middle of nowhere—partially successful, but on a smaller scale. The town itself was on the water but not visually appealing; its tourist street ran parallel to the waterfront, with no trees or notable charm.

_________________

7/30-8/1/205

We drove to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada and checked into the Prince George Hotel. That evening we visited Gail’s brother and sister-in-law’s home for a delicious smoked salmon dinner. Their house borders a forest owned by King Charles—where, I’ve been told, someone has been harvesting maple without his knowledge. I’ll say no more as I want that person to keep their head on their shoulders. History has shown that kings can be viscous.

There were two reasons we took the Tesla. First is that I was going to be doing the bulk of the driving and Tesla’s self-driving mode works extraordinarily well – making driving less stressful. The other reason is its “dog mode,” which keeps the interior climate-controlled and displays an animated image of a happy dog with a tail wag and head bob.

We stayed at the Prince George for three nights. During that time:

• • •Gail attended a women’s brunch.
  • •We attended the wedding—beautifully set on the water.
  • •We visited Halifax’s Public Garden and waterfront.
  • •We mingled extensively with the many branches of the Whoriskey clan, gathered from across the U.S.

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8/2–8/3/2025

After a brunch at the bride and groom’s home in Halifax, we began the “adventure” portion of our trip. Our first stop was a nearly perfect cabin in Cheticamp, NS, across the road from the ocean and next to the causeway to Cheticamp Island.

270° panorama from our front porch cabin in Cheticamp

Cheticamp Island

We, and the dogs, hiked the 6.5-mile Acadian Trail with a 1,200-foot elevation gain. The climb followed a brook through the mostly hardwood forest—no scenic views until the peak, but the sound of a babbling brook is one of my favorite sounds.  The descent offered several vistas. By the end, we were glad to have done it—and glad it was over. Total distance walked: 8.5 miles.

I should’ve mentioned that on this part of the road trip, Tesla has no supercharging stations, and it was a bit stressful until I learned how to locate and access these charging stations along the way. Some of them didn’t work, which was discouraging, and we heard more than one horror story about this, so I always made sure that we had more than sufficient charge so as to be certain we would not run out of electrons if the unexpected happened, we would be OK. Once I fully understood how to navigate and use the non-Tesla charging stations, we did just fine.

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8/4/2025

We continued north around Cape Breton, through Cape Breton Highlands National Park, to Ingonish. En route we took a short hike to a beautiful waterfall and pool—Gail might have swum if we’d been alone. We stayed at the Twin Cabins Motor Inn: clean, but otherwise unremarkable.

Petrified Rock Fish

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8/5/2025

We had planned to stay in Canada for 2–3 more days, but I came down with a cold.

I should have mentioned that this trip was organized entirely by Gail. My contributions were limited to cleaning the Tesla before we left and doing about 70% of the driving.

From Ingonish, we drove to New Glasgow, New Brunswick, staying in a pleasant Airbnb above a real estate office. Dinner was at Tilly’s Kitchen, a “fine dining” spot in an old house. Being in the middle of the city, we didn’t explore—just ate and slept.

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8/6/2025

From New Glasgow we went to Hopewell Rocks on the Bay of Fundy, the highest tides in the world – 53 feet. We arrived at high tide and over 3 hours, saw the water level drop dramatically. The visitor center video noted that the amount of water flowing out with the tide over six hours is more than twice the total river outflow of all rivers on Earth in the same period. They explained that the tides were extraordinarily high, partly because of the shape of the bay, which is funnel shape. When I did a little bit of research on this, the other reason is that the natural frequency of the bay matches the frequency of the tides, or, from an engineering perspective, the resonant frequency of the bay matches a frequency of the tides. When this happens, the movement of the object which is at its resonant frequency is amplified.

We stayed at the Alpine Motor Inn in Alma, NB. The facility was unimpressive, but the location—at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy—was nice. Dinner plans at a nearby restaurant fell through when we arrived for our 7:30 reservation to find they had “closed the  kitchen.” We eventually found another place, but the food didn’t arrive for 1 hour.

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8/7/2025

We left Alma at 7:00 AM and arrived home around 4:00 p.m. Gail did about 40% of the driving—unusual for her, as she doesn’t generally like driving the Tesla. She now refers to it as “our car” rather than “your car.” 

It was a great trip—probably the most uninterrupted time we’ve spent together in a long while.

I forgot to mention that I encouraged Gail to pick an audiobook for our travels. My past picks rarely met her taste. We began with The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (which I had listened to previously and loved), but after two hours she wants to switch to Fourth Wing, a sci-fi novel with strong NYT reviews. We listened during the trip (it is 24 hours), finishing about two-thirds of it by the end of the trip. It’s not high literature, but it was entertaining for both of us. Gail has since purchase the book to finish the story.

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8/8/2025

The day after we got home, I cleaned my car, went for a bike ride while listening to my audiobook, and sent some emails for upcoming REMBrunch and ReeBrunch gatherings – a mostly quiet day.

Gail and I had a great time together, but we both felt that the scenery in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia is not much different than in New Hampshire and Maine, and New Brunswick and Nova Scotia is a long way to go for something that can be seen much closer to home.

Stuff I Should Have Done, but Didn’t:

I was supposed to work on revising my essay Billionaire Wealth Tax – Free the 95%. Politico is clearly not going to publish it. ChatGPT-4 and Claude both told me there was a high likelihood it would get published. As GPT-5 came out on August 7, I uploaded the essay and was told by GPT-5 that there was essentially zero chance of publication. It gave me some helpful suggestions, and I need to revise and resubmit the essay elsewhere.

One sticking point is documenting my claim that the graduated wealth tax will raise $1 trillion annually – I need a better way to document this prediction than footnotes. I  think I will create a webpage compiling the references and calculations provided by Claude, Anthropic, and GPT-5 – all came to approximately the same conclusion that the graduate wealth tax would raise $700B-$1.2T, then link my essay to that web page, as it is too much data/detail to include in the essay.

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8/9/2025

Today, I finally got my self to create this diary entry.

And America continues to drift toward fascism, so I brought my banner to Coolidge Corner in Brookline, MA.

July 21, 2025: Musing on Reality

I finished listening to the book Proof, written by Adam Kucharski, a mathematician-turned-epidemiologist. It is an exploration and elucidation of what we really know—and how we know it.

“In an uncertain world, it is reassuring to think there is at least one field (mathematics) that can provide definitive answers….” But, “(e)ven mathematical notions of proof… [are] not always as robust and politics-free as they might seem.” —Adam Kucharski

Beyond mathematics, the book explores logic in judicial, political, and medical domains. It’s filled with historical anecdotes that illustrate how humanity has serially approximated reality—while also highlighting humanity’s stubbornness in relinquishing old, false “truths” and the limitations inherent in perfectly defining “truth” or “reality.”

I see Proof as a companion to Jonathan Rauch’s The Constitution of Knowledge, in which Rauch explains how many fields—law, science, medicine, journalism, and the arts—rely on a hierarchy of information validation. These systems filter out lies and incomplete truths to arrive at a new, albeit temporary, understanding of “the truth.” This self-correcting process is iterative—an ongoing refinement through challenge and re-evaluation—that leads to increasingly accurate models of reality. Rauch emphasizes a key idea: no single individual is allowed to define what is “true.” Truth emerges through a rigorous, collective intellectual filtering process, open to challenge by anyone, at any time.

The take-home message from both books is that understanding reality is exceedingly difficult. Human bias—both conscious and unconscious—can skew the design of our experiments, laws, and political systems, and distort our understanding of their ramifications. 

Even domain experts—being human or comprised of humans—may not always be objective, honest, or current in their knowledge. The general public—often lacking the training to assess nuances in experimental design, statistical significance, legal precedents, risk vs. benefit, the “known unknowns,” and the potential “unknown unknowns,” are clearly less capable of assessing the “truth” and “ramifications” of our undertakings than a domain expert.

For me, the lesson is clear: understanding reality is hard, and, at best, we can only hope to achieve a temporary and approximate understanding of reality. 

Given this complexity, I believe it’s best to identify experts (people, news sources, data sources)—those who abide by the principles of The Constitution of Knowledge, are honest, candid, humble, and hold a worldview that mostly aligns with my own sense of morality. I turn to this group of trusted experts for advice, and then I form my own tentative conclusions about what is “true.”

And above all, I try to remain humble, recognizing that our understanding of reality is always provisional. Better information and ideas will emerge, necessitating revisions to previously held beliefs; and incorporating validated new insights will lead to a more accurate and useful worldview—but never a perfect or invariant one.

After all, today’s laws of physics (quantum mechanics) tell us that certainty is impossible, as reality is probabilistic.

July 6–15, 2025: Musing about Inactivity and Life

Since the kids returned to California after our week together over the July 4 holiday, I haven’t accomplished much; I think this self-imposed inactivity stems from a need to decompress. Having both of my kids, their spouses, and my granddaughter here was a lot of fun—but it also required a level of psychological and physical effort I don’t typically experience.

Throughout their visit, I had to remain cognizant of not saying or doing something that might be perceived as unsolicited criticism. As that is certainly not my default mindset, it requires me to “think differently” while they are here.

When the family visits, I also want to:

• Ensure everyone is entertained and never bored
• Give the new parents some relief from childcare responsibilities
• Strengthen our relationships with our kids’ spouses
• Reconnect with our kids and try to get them to talk about their lives, successes, tribulations, and dreams
• Build a loving relationship with our granddaughter—who we only see about four times a year

All of this, of course, with the hope that they’ll want to return sooner rather than later.

To make their future visits more comfortable, Gail and I signed a contract to renovate our house and add 2 bedrooms. Construction should begin this fall and will take 6-9 months.

So, I stay on my toes while they visit—and yes, it can be exhausting. But it was a wonderful week!

I’m reminded of a moment from two or three decades ago, when my kids were about 2 and 6 and I was showing them off to my grandmother, Tessie Diamond—Bubby—who was in her mid-80s. The kids had a lot of energy, and I believe the chaos and energy were overwhelming for Bubby—I could see it in her face. While I knew she was happy for me, I became aware that age changes one’s priorities. This is not bad, it is simply the way life is; we all change as we age.

Young people think everyone sees the world as they do; they don’t understand that a person’s perception of life changes as they age. I have tried to explain to my kids why my mother (age 88) decided to stop chemotherapy. The combination of her cancer, her decreased mobility, the social isolation of covid, and other issues convinced her it was time to go. She wanted to be allowed to die as comfortably and as quickly as possible. (She even asked for “the black pill.”) For her, life was no longer joyous and interesting, she was ready to move on. She was not sad, she was ready. 

I have had a similar “end of life” conversation with my grandmother, Bubby, when she was in her 80s. She said something to the effect of, “Why won’t God take me?” At the time she was living with my parents in FL, in her own room. She had a very kind and reliable full-time aide who lived with her, but Bubby no longer had the independence and mobility she so cherished. It was a very comfortable existence, but it was not the life she wanted, which was to walk down the streets of NYC and buy stuff on sale–even if she didn’t need it. Life had lost its joy and she wanted to move on. 

I’ve told my kids that there will come a time when I too will be ready to go. When I am no longer able to live the life that keeps me entertained and has value, it is time to let me go. I definitely do not want to be propped up in a bed, watching reruns of Gilligan’s Island for hours on end; that was fun when I was 15, but no longer.

Today, I do want to be involved in my kids’ and granddaughter’s lives—as much as they will allow—though I have no plans to move to California. Gail and I both hope to build the kind of relationship with them that my mother had with Gail and our children—one built on love, respect, and pride in their accomplishments.

I suspect Gail would be open to spending extended periods of time in California so as to be closer to the grandkid(s). But that won’t work for me. I have succeeded in creating a community of friends and acquaintances here in Somerville, and the Boston area feels like home, with a plethora of interesting things to do. While California’s scenic grandeur is stunning, it is not my home.

I began this entry by explaining that I have not accomplished much in the last 10 days or so. But for now, I’m giving myself permission to do mostly nothing for the rest of this week. Next week, I’ll begin to ramp up my activities.

As for the rest of this week:

• Tomorrow (Wednesday, 7/16), I’ll attend my REMBrunch group. RS, a recent retiree who had attended prior MIT Club of Boston cycling group rides will be joining our REMBrunch group.
• On Thursday 7/17, weather permitting, in the morning I will ride with my MIT Club of Boston cycling group. In the evening, I will display my RetireesForDemocracy.org banner at the Good Trouble Lives On rally on Boston Common.
• I’m still trying to determine how to use the RetireesForDemocracy.org platform to mobilize retirees in defense of democracy. The website is complete, or as complete as software can be, for software is never really “done.” I am attending virtual classes on political organizing through groups like the ACLU, One Million Rising, and Peaceful Conflict Resolution for Activists. I hope they’ll provide insight that I can apply to my R4D efforts.
• Lastly, I’ve decided to schedule another Designing Your Retirement lecture with the MIT Club of Boston, likely around the same time as my upcoming September talk at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. Prior to those talks, I will update the lecture and associated PDF with some information I learned while listening to the audiobook Proof: The Art and Science of Certainty by Adam Kucharski.

June 24 – July 5, 2025: Flags, Family, and Fallen Trees

Cycling

On June 25, I hosted another MIT Club of Boston cycling event, this one was quite successful. Besides myself, five people showed up — very encouraging. For reasons I don’t fully understand, 90% of participants are men. 

During my usual thrice weekly ride on the Minuteman Bikeway, on July 1, a tree fell and landed across the path just in front of me. Fortunately, my fingers were already on the brakes (they are not always), and I stopped two feet short of the fallen tree. Had I arrived 1–3 seconds earlier, it would have landed on me. I was so close to the fallen tree when I finally stopped, that I had to back up to take this photo:

Politics, The Problem

The Supreme Court wrapped up its disastrous 2024-2025 session. Although it refused to weigh in on the constitutionality of birthright citizenship — something it had affirmed for more than 100 years, and should have done with a single sentence — its final ruling will adversely impact many people. As a result of their partisan (6-3) decision, (a case which it refused to adjudicate during the Biden years,) people whose constitutional rights have been violated by a Trump edict may regain those rights only if their local federal district court agrees to overturn Trump edict. Essentially, people with fewer resources will have fewer constitutional protections than those with greater means.

In her dissent, Justice Sotomayor stated:

“No right is safe in the new legal regime the Court creates…”

“Today, the Court abdicates its vital role in”… in support of the rule of law.

The Court continues to confer powers on Donald Trump that far exceed the constitutional allowances previously defined by SCOTUS.  The court has facilitated Trump’s destruction of our system of checks and balances, and now appears on track to accept the unAmerican, anti-democratic “Unitary Executive Theory,” which will grant the President the power to selectively choose which laws the Department of Justice will enforce. America is no longer a democracy!

Several political scholars have opined the failure of America’s democracy:

Judge J. Michael Luttig (retired judge on the US Court of Appeals from 1991 to 2006.)

“On this Constitution Day (7/4/25), our country, our institutions of government and governance, the institutions of our democracy, and our institutions of law and law enforcement are under … attack from within our own country …  our political leaders having failed us, to whom do we turn? … The answer lies in the first seven words of the Constitution written by the prophets of our nation’s founding. We turn to ‘We the People of the United States.’ We ourselves must come to the aid of our struggling America.” 

Laurence Tribe  (6/29/25)

“…Congress failed us and the Supreme Court has been fully complicit. We must keep invoking the lower courts’ fidelity to law but will need massive political mobilization.”

As the American people can no longer rely on the Supreme Court to protect them from Trump’s authoritarian ambitions, and in the absence of a major change in America’s political trajectory, the justices will come to realize that they have created a king—and that they themselves have become his subordinate, or irrelevant.

This ruling, among others, demonstrate that Americans only recourse to restore democracy is mass protest.

Politics, My Response: Retirees for Democracy

I created RetireesForDemocracy.org, an organization solely focused on reestablishing democracy in America. My intent is to recruit conservatives, independents, and progressives to work together to:

1. Reverse America’s slide into authoritarianism
2. Defend the Constitution, voting rights, free press, and academic freedom
3. Protect due process for every individual
4. Hold the President to the same ethical and legal standards as all federal employees
5. Prioritize truth and science as the foundation of sound government policy
6. Empower citizens with the knowledge and tools to defend and participate in democracy

Politics, My Response: A Public Display of Support for Democracy

On July 4 at 7:40 PM, I set up my banner in front of the Scituate Lighthouse. Three people hurled various insults at me, and a few others offered support. It was a bit unpleasant, and I rushed to get the banner installed, photographed, and taken down before the police arrived.

I got the photograph, but I wish I had set up the banner slightly differently, for a better photo.

Family Time

Both of my kids, their spouses, and our grandchild arrived for the July 4th holiday. Gail’s family has always celebrated Independence Day at Rest-Haven, their summer “cottage” that’s been in the family since April 22, 1920.

Although attendance varies from hour to hour, there are typically 35–40 people present during the meals, and the extended family spreads across three generations and included four dogs. Seven family members couldn’t attend this year, so the total could have approached 50, as the neighbors will stop by. Currently, the clan has three pregnancies in various stages of gestation, so next year’s gathering will be larger.

Rest-Haven sleeps ~25. Eighteen months ago, J (Gail’s sister) & J (spouse) purchased the house across the street, christened “Rose-Haven,” which is where the Zwerling clan — 6 adults, 1 toddler, and 2 dogs — slept. Others stayed in their Massachusetts homes, on a boat, or in an Air BnB, and commuted to Rest-Haven on a daily basis.

Gail and I made a sign to be hung above their front door of Rose-Haven …

It’s always a pleasure to catch up on everyone’s lives. While I’m not a beach person, most of the clan are beach people — especially Gail’s siblings who spent many summers at Rest-Haven. These days, great white sharks are a frequent topic of conversation.

Gail’s older brother, an ichthyologist, retrieves his great white shark receiver (counts tagged great white sharks) every July from its location submerged off somewhere off Egypt Beach. This year, the receiver recorded a 50% increase in shark detections!; an increase from two sharks in 2024 to three in 2025.

Gail and I had fun playing with our granddaughter (nearly 2) at a local playground which also has an in-ground fountain.

All five of us attended a Red Sox game (they lost), which is one of Calder’s sports obsessions. Although I don’t enjoy watching baseball, seeing the athleticism live was impressive. 

Calder, Gail, and I brought our granddaughter (again) to the New England Aquarium — she was enthralled. 

And Sierra has her unique way of playing with her:

Rest-Haven is only 0.25 miles from Egypt Beach — far enough that the ocean surges have never reached the house yet close enough that even a toddler can walk from Rest-Haven to Egypt Beach.

I enjoy early sunrise and sunset walks on Egypt Beach, or on walking on the road that parallels the shoreline to the Scituate Lighthouse 3.7 miles round trip), sometimes stopping to sit and watch the sun hover just above the ocean — while my dogs wait patiently by my side.

Repair of George the Giraffe (or “Big Poppy”)

One of my giraffe sculptures stopped working. The cable that moved the ears was stuck. Calder helped me lower it to the ground so I could repair it — hopefully for good — and I reattached him to his buddy. All is now well.

While I was there, I also tightened the bolts on Elly the Elephant.

ReeBrunch, Too

I had another monthly ReeBrunch, Too gathering with seven attendees. Gail had left earlier that day for Scituate, so she missed it. As before, people seemed to enjoy themselves, and I sensed a bit of regret when I ended the session promptly at 11 AM, as I always do. I believe it’s important to end officially and on time so attendees can plan the rest of their day with certainty.

Time to Myself

My time of day is the dark time
A couple of deals before dawn
When the street belongs to the cop
And the janitor with the mop
And the grocery clerks are all gone
— Sky, Guys and Dolls (1950)

Actually, my favorite time of day is 30–60 minutes before sunrise, when the world is quiet and belongs to me alone. I enjoy watching as the sun climbs, sunlight sweeps across the landscape, and, first the birds awaken,  and then the people.

June 23, 2025

I am returning to the academic paper Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task  that I mentioned below because I want to post an excerpt from the paper’s  “Introduction” in which the authors review prior research that assessed the effect of AI on cognitive function. The below excerpt is presented verbatim with the caveat that “…” is an indication that I excised some words either for clarity or brevity. The following quotation from Frank Herbert’s Dune immediately precedes the paper’s Introduction.

“Once men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them.” Frank Herbert, Dune, 1965

… In (the) education (environment), LLMs demonstrate significant potential in fostering autonomous learning, enhancing student engagement, and supporting diverse learning styles through adaptive content delivery [1].
… Studies indicate that (…LLM…)  may simultaneously diminish critical thinking capabilities and lead to decreased engagement in deep analytical processes [2]. This phenomenon is particularly concerning in educational contexts, where the development of robust cognitive skills is paramount.

…while (LLM) enhance accessibility and personalization of education, they (LLM) may inadvertently contribute to cognitive atrophy through excessive reliance on AI-driven solutions [3]. Prior research … there is a strong negative correlation between AI tool usage and critical thinking skills, with younger users exhibiting higher dependence on AI tools and consequently lower cognitive performance scores [3].

…Studies reveal that interaction with AI systems may lead to diminished prospects for independent problem-solving and critical thinking [4]. This cognitive offloading [113] phenomenon raises concerns about the long-term implications for human intellectual development and autonomy [5].

…Unlike conventional search engines that present diverse viewpoints for user evaluation, LLMs … may inadvertently discourage lateral thinking and independent judgment. This shift from active information seeking to passive consumption of AI-generated content can have profound implications for how current and future generations …

June 15-22, 2025

Movies

During this past week, I saw the movie Life of Chuck. Despite the negative review in The New Yorker, both Gail and I liked the movie. We thought it was creative and entertaining, although I can’t say that I can fully put the whole thing together in a way that makes sense to me. Initially, I thought it was supposed accepted as the visualization of the world, as envisaged within the Chuck’s brain (the universe between his ears,) as he is in bed dying and unconscious, and reviews his life in reverse chronological order. However, there were events in the movie that Chuck would not have known occur so that interpretation of the movie did not hold together.

We also saw the movie How to Train Your Dragon, a straight forward chronologic plot that is easy to accept, assuming, you accept the existence of flying dragons that understand English. It is the story of a young man, the son of the community’s leader, who does not accept or live up to his father’s expectations. In the end, the young man shows his father a new and better version of a way to live, gets the girl, and their world becomes a more joyous and less violent place. Everyone wins, even the dragons – only the bad dragon looses.

Theater

And, we attended Central Square Theater’s Mrs Warren’s Profession, a play written by George Bernard Shaw in 1893. Shaw went on to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1925. Mrs. Warren’s Profession was initially banned by the Lord Chamberlain (Britain’s official theater censor) because of its frank discussion of prostitution, and Victorian moral hypocrisy arising from gender roles, capitalism, one’s social position, and societal double standards. When it was finally performed in 1902, it caused a scandal—but also marked a turning point in modern drama by treating social issues seriously. 

The staging was contemporary and sparse, and worked very well, and the acting was great–convincing. (In my mind, if you do not think about the “acting” during the play, then the actors did an excellent job.) And, of course, the play was extremely well written in that it allowed you to see the world empathically, through the eyes of the individual characters. We both like to play.

I cycled thrice this week, 23, 23 and 32 miles. One of he 23 mile events was my MIT Club of Boston Thursday morning ride. Three men showed up and two others, who have attended prior cycling events had told me they would be away this week. Mid man commute bike trail the Minuteman bike trail was incredibly crowded and it wasn’t until we got to the turnaround point that I rea somebody mentioned that it was Juneteenth holiday and all businesses were closed. In addition, it was going to be 91° and everybody was getting out before it got too hot. That made sense. I chose not to stop at the Kickstand Café on the way back as there was only one other rider who would stop with me and I was convinced that the crowd at the café was going to be intolerable. I’ve made this decision before we actually got there so I really don’t know if I made the right decision and in hindsight I’m sorry I didn’t delay the decision until I assessed the crowd size (I hate standing in line.)

Socializing

On Wednesday, I had my monthly ReeBrunch group. Besides myself, four others were in attendance and everybody seemed to enjoy their conversation. We had a new member this time, R, his wife had attended my Designing Your Retirement lecture, and we had lunch together. He seemed like he would be a good fit, and now I am certain I made the right decision to ask him to join the group.

Gail and I went out to dinner last night with R and E. R has retired recently and has attended two of my MIT Club of Boston cycling event events. We met for dinner at a restaurant in Belmont, which is literally a few hundred yards from their home and had an enjoyable evening. I’m sure we’ll get together again and he will join me next week for our weekly cycling event. E, a pathologist, is still working and will be for a few more years.

Home Renovations

I think I’ve neglected to mention in this diary that Gail and I have been working on modifications to our house for over two years now and we finally picked out a contractor. We’re going to remove the attic/3rd floor and replace it with a mansard. The 3rd floor now has two very small rooms that measure 10’ x 10’, with slope ceilings and access from the 2nd floor is up a very, very step and narrow stair case. When done, the 3rd floor will have a legal staircase, three rooms, and a full bathroom. We are making these renovations late in our life so that we can comfortably accommodate our grandchildren and children when they visit (hopefully) in July and November. We are also going add a glass room attached to our bedroom, on the second floor and in the back of the house, that will serve as an office. As our backyard has a lot of greenery (seasonally), this should be a nice place to work assuming environmental conditions permit.

Politicing: RetireesForDemocracy.org 

I believe I have finished the first draft of my RetireesForDemocracy.org (R4D) website. I put it out on social media and got only one email response. I’m really not sure how to move forward with this, but I sincerely believe that there is niche for an unaffiliated political organization, which is solely focused on promoting democracy in America, and not aligned with any political cause. Currently almost all the pro-democracy organizations effectively are aligned with progressive political organizations. I would like to create an organization in which there is a rally that both Bernie Sanders, and Mitt Romney, or Oprah, Winfrey and Joe Rogan, or Liz Cheney and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez are on stage together, hand-in-hand, fighting for democracy in America. If we succeed in reestablishing democracy in America, we can go back to our usual political battles, but until that happens, nothing else matters other than reestablishing democracy in America.

I have received my first batch of 100 bumper stickers and expect to receive the second batch of 50 bumper stickers in the next day or two. It is my intention to give these away to people on the condition that one it will display the sticker in some manner or give it to somebody else will and two promise to make a donation to approach democracy organization of their choice. Both of the bumper stickers contain QR codes that link to one of two of my fascism essays. I now realize I should also include a link in those essays to my R4D webpage.

Woodworking Project

I finished my latest woodworking project, the second version (left, maple, gold leaf, paint, Rubio Monocoat finish) of a sign for J & J’s new house in Scituate. Gail and I designed it together and neither of us were thrill with the first version (right, butternut, gold leaf, paint, Rubio Monocoat finish) turned out. We are both very happy with how the second version looks. The new version is

An interesting paper on AI

A friend of mine sent me a paper titled: Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task . When I read the clip on social media, I thought it was a joke, but it’s not. It comes out of the MIT Media lab and the senior author was on my board of directors when I was establishing ComChart Medical Software LLC. 

The downloaded PDF is 206 pages, so I certainly did not read all of it nor did I read or understand the technical aspects of EEGs, and how they came to the conclusions that they have came to, but this is a very reputable group of investigators. 

The bottom line is that using ChatGPT upfront, to create an essay, versus writing the either using a search engine, or only of the brain of the writer, results in an author-LLM created essay that is: is less creative and a lower quality essay. The brain of the author who used LLM to write the essay had “significantly different neural connectivity patterns” while writing the essay, and had a diminished “ability to quote from the essays they wrote just minutes prior.”

Quoting from the paper

From a cognitive load perspective, …
Non-assisted writing, the brain-only group’s connectivity profile is typical of a high mental workload state.
Other data suggests … the LLM user’s brain may engage less deeply in the creative process.

Regarding executive function, 
the results show Brain-only group’s …indicating substantial executive control over the writing process. 
Whereas LLM group’s .. was …comparatively lower, implying that some executive functions (like maintaining context, planning sentences) were most likely partially taken over by the LLM’s automation. 
… So, while the quantity of executive involvement was less for LLM users, the nature of executive tasks may have shifted, from generating content to supervising the AI-generated content.

In terms of creativity,
one could argue that Brain-only group’s brain networks were more activated in the manner of creative cognition: 
…LLM group’s data… might indicate a more convergent thinking style, they might lean on the LLM’s suggestions (which could constrain the range of ideas) and then apply their judgment, rather than internally diverging to a wide space of ideas.

In conclusion, …
writing without assistance increased brain network interactions across multiple frequency bands, engaging higher cognitive load, stronger executive control, and deeper creative processing.

Writing with AI assistance, in contrast, reduces overall neural connectivity, and shifts the dynamics of information flow. In practical terms, a LLM might free up mental resources and make the task feel easier, yet the brain of the user of the LLM might not go as deeply into the rich associative processes that unassisted creative writing entails.

For the record, the way I write my essays is that I use AI and search engines to write the first draft of my essays. I then use AI to evaluate my essays for logic and grammar and then use ChatGPT to revise my essays until I no longer agree with the AI recommendations. So the content and logic of my essays are created independently of AI, but then may be supplemented or revised as a result of my interactions with the AI, which is mostly ChatGPT.

I am bored today

Today is Sunday, and I find that I don’t have anything on my schedule or anything I want to do today; that is the reason I have spent the last ~3 hours creating this diary entry. Also, it’s going to be 92° today, so it is better to remain close to the house and indoors.

June 14, 2025: No Kings Day rally in Boston

Yesterday was No Kings Day in the Boston Common. In Boston, the No Kings rally was held concurrently with the annual Gay Pride Parade. The Boston Pride event typically draws between 750,000 and 1,000,000 attendees. This year, the estimate for the combined rally was about one million people, despite the rain.

The week before the event I spoke with a few people who had argued that No Kings Day should not be celebrated concurrently with the Gay Pride Parade. While I agree that the overlap would dissuade conservatives from attending Boston’s No Kings rally in support democracy, the reality is that Boston’s Pride event was scheduled long before Donald Trump was sworn in as president. No Kings had limited options for planning around the Boston Gay Pride parade—and many other No Kings events were held in cities elsewhere in Massachusetts.

Gail, P (a perennially politically active friend), and I gathered our supplies and left our house around 9:45 AM. We took the T to Park Street Station, which is alongside the Boston Common, and scouted for a good spot on the Boston Common to set up my banner before the action began.  

We settled near the intersection of Beacon Street and Charles Street on the Boston Common—a location slightly off the main route but both sides of banner could be seen, depending on the direction of approach. It turned out to be a great choice, plenty of pedestrian traffic, toilets nearby, and a coffee shop within 200 yards. The parade kicked off in Copley Square at 11:00 AM, just as we finished setting-up the banner.

Throughout the day, people kept asking me where was the official No Kings rally and speakers located. I told them I hadn’t seen anything listed on the Boston Indivisible website, and many expressed frustration over the lack of ability for the No Kings attendees to have their own rally and speakers.

Despite the drizzle, it was a joyful day—gay pride events always are. Spirits were high, the costumes were colorful, the banners were entertaining (most appeared to have a No Kings message) and people were constantly stopping to photograph my banner. Many thanked me for saying publicly what they felt needed to be said.

At some point, I was interviewed by reporters from Germany and Boston’s WCVB-TV – my 12 seconds of fame.

I also had a compelling conversation with someone about my nascent RetireesForDemocracy.org organization that I’m trying to build. I am certain that a pro-democracy group that is solely focused on the restoration and defense of democracy—without endorsing any other political agenda—has the potential to have political impact. Such a singular focus could unite people across the political spectrum, from Liz Cheney to Bernie Sanders and AOC. If democracy fails, every other cause—liberal or conservative—is lost, only the chief fascist’s ideology and fiscal corruption will be advanced. Once we succeed in restoring democracy, then we can return to our regular political squabbling, confident that the direction of the country will again reflect the will of the people, as it should in a functioning democracy. I assume there must be organizations like this – a singular pro-democracy focus – but likely none that focus on retirees.

Around 3:00 PM, we packed up the banner and headed home via a crowded—but manageable—subway ride. 

Nationally, rallies took place at 2,169 locations and more than 5 million people participated. In NYC, the turnout was 200,000 people.

It was a good day, even if Trump is still president.

June 8–13, 2025

Theater

Gail and I saw Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York City) at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge. It was the story of an extremely optimistic and effusive young man from Ireland who was visiting New York City to attend his estranged father’s wedding. He had never met his father and (I’m not gonna say anymore.) He ends up meeting the sister of the bride who leads a very different life style and had different expectations for her life. The first half was delightful and emotionally engaging. I had high hopes for the second half, but it was a bit less engaging. Nevertheless, I’m glad I went, and I would recommend it to others.

After the play we went out to dinner with Jean and Bob at restaurant in the Harvard Square, where we debrief about the play, politics and life.

A small woodworking project

Gail’s family has owned a summer house in Scituate for a bit more than 100 years. Above the front door of the house is a sign “Rest-Haven.” They sometimes refer to it as a “cottage,” but it’s really much too large to be called a cottage– it sleeps 23 people, is three stories, and has a wraparound deck that encloses more than 270° of the house. 

J (Gail’s sister) & J  recently purchased the house across the street from Rest-Haven. As their new house has a lot of rose bushes, and they love the TV show Schitt’s Creek—which has “Rosebud Motel”- they christened their new house “Rose-Haven.”

For their entire lives, Gail’s family has gathered at Rest-Haven every July 4th. Now, the family gatherings include 40-50 people. So Gail and I, and our kids and their spouses, and granddaughter will again attend as Gail and I have done for more than 4 decades.

In a gesture that I can only describe as unduly magnanimous, J & J offered us their Rose-Haven house during the July 4 weekend, while J & J will stay in Rest-Haven.

As a thank you for this overly generous offer, Gail and I have decided to build them a sign to be placed above their front door, mimicking the Rest-Haven sign, but it will say “Rose-Haven.” I have used the same font as was used for Schitt’s Creek Rosebud Motel, for the “Rose” part of my sign while the font for the “Haven” half will mimic the original Rest-Haven sign.

For artistic and sentimental reasons, we decide to add some gold leaf  above the red lettering. The gold leaf was originally owned by Gail and J’s grandmother, so it seemed like a good idea. But I’m not happy with how it looks so I will try to rebuild it from scratch next week.

Retirees For Democracy

I’ve been investing a lot of time building my new website: RetireesForDemocracy.org. Today, I shared it on social media, a soft-rollout with limited exposure, seeking feedback from members of Boston Indivisible and Massachusetts 50-50 One. We’ll see if anyone responds.

The organization will be single-issue and non-partisan, focused on restoring democracy. Unlike other pro-democracy groups, R4D won’t promote or take a stand on any other political issues. (I understand that most Americans do not care about “democracy” but I do.) If/once we reestablish democracy in America, we can return to our usual political arguments—but not before we restore democracy in America. 

I have yet to figure out how to use this organization to advance democracy in America, but maybe this will become obvious in time.

I really like this excerpt I wrote in R4D:

This is not the America forged through revolution, and improved by generations of Americans who have struggled and sacrificed. It is not the America our parents and grandparents defended in war and rebuilt in peace. And it is certainly not the America we grew up believing in—nor the one we hope to bequeath to our children.

The Political Crisis Deepens

Unfortunately, our political crisis, the demise of democracy, and the rise of fascism gets worse every day.

Yesterday, in another alarming development, a CA Senator Padillo was handcuffed while trying to ask a question of the head of Homeland Security during a public Q&A. This, along with Trump’s/ICE’s ongoing disregard for the constitutional rights of people in America, including many American citizens, and other similar incidents, shows how far we’ve moved away from democracy.

A court ruled yesterday that Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles—against the wishes of the CA Governor, LA mayor, local police department—further reveal Trump contempt for the rule of law, the constitution, and his desire to establish a national military takeover of the United States. The language used in his order deploying the military to L.A. was designed so he need not again justify similar takeovers of National Guards in any state of his choosing.

We are now in truly uncharted political territory. Wake-up America! (It is time to use your “outdoor” voice)

Pro-Democracy Trainings

I attended several Zoom sessions by pro-democracy groups, including Indivisible (de-escalation techniques) and the ACLU (Know Your Rights). These talks are now relevant given concerns that MAGA supporters will try to provoke violence at tomorrow’s No Kings Day protests. For if there is any violence at these pro-democracy rallies, Trump will use it as an excuse to declare a national emergency and militarize the country. I think this is his plan and that his insurrectionist/terrorist supporters, like Proud Boys and others, behind the scenes, are planning to make these pro-democracy rallies appear as a violent insurrection, so Trump can suspend the Constitution. How ironic, given the fact that the only insurrectionists in America are Trump’s January 6 violent mob, which he has pardoned.

Bumper Stickers

I received the first batch of my bumper stickers—ten in total—and they look great. I’ve ordered 100 more. My plan is to give them away and ask people to make a donation to a pro-democracy organization.

Brunch with R & C

I had brunch with R and C; C, a practicing physician, attended my “Designing Your Retirement” talk and R is interested in joining my REMBrunch group. After meeting him, I thought he’d be a good fit and invited him to join.

MIT Club of Boston Cycling Group

At yesterday’s ride, only one cyclist (K) joined me. Two others had let me know in advance they’d be away. K and I had lunch at Kickstand Café. He’s an interesting person, and I enjoyed the conversation.

No Kings Day (Tomorrow)

Tomorrow is No Kings Day. I’ll bring my large banners to Boston Common, set up around 10 AM, and plan to stay for most of the day. I hope the event will be peaceful and joyful.

May 31-June 7, 2025

Last Sunday, I attended a Boston Indivisible (BIND) meeting at The Cathedral Church of St. Paul, a historic structure built in 1819 beside the Boston Common. The event was designed as a social gathering to foster connections among attendees. One of the BIND leaders shared that both of her children have permanently left the United States—one to Brussels, the other to Dublin—fleeing America’s drift toward fascism. She lamented the personal toll: her future grandchildren will grow up abroad.

I’m not sure the meeting accomplished much.  Toward the end of the meeting, I voiced my concern that our political representatives, although political aligned with our objectives,  are largely engaging in performative politics—public gestures with no realistic expectation of results—while our democracy falters and is replaced by fascism.

Someone asked me what I thought our elected officials should do. I responded with an analogy: just as it isn’t a patient’s job to prescribe their own treatment/make their own diagnosis, it’s not my job to proffer political strategy. My role is to tell my representatives that their actions are insufficient, they are not meeting my needs.

I then cited a disturbing event from May 28, 2025: per the USA Today story:

The incident, which occurred on May 28, began after the staffer saw federal agents detaining migrants outside a courtroom located in the same building as the New York Democrat’s office, according to The New York Times. 

Robert Gottheim, Nadler’s chief of staff, told The New York Times in an interview that staff members had invited immigration rights advocates who witnessed the detentions to the office.

Nadler alleged in a CNN interview on June 2 that the officers had “barged” into his office because the officers were “upset” that his staff members watched them detain immigrants.

“And they were upset that my staff invited some of the observers up to my office. They then came up to the office and demanded entrance. One of my staff members said, you can’t come in here, you need a warrant. They said, ‘No, we don’t need a warrant,’ which is incorrect,” Nadler said.

Nadler further claimed that one of the officers pushed his aide and she pushed back, and was then shackled. Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin alleged in a statement that the aide “became verbally confrontational and physically blocked access to the office.”

In a video shared by Gothamist, a New York City-focused news website that first reported the incident, an officer with the Federal Protective Service, part of the Department of Homeland Security, can be seen handcuffing an apparently distressed staffer. Another officer had confronted a second Nadler aide, who asked for a warrant.

“You’re harboring rioters in the office,” the officer claimed, according to the video. 

Nadler wrote in a statement after the incident that no arrests were made and that he was “alarmed by the aggressive and heavy-handed tactics” used by the Department of Homeland Security. 

“She was obviously traumatized. Now the fact is that this was totally unacceptable, the tactics were totally unacceptable, and they needed a warrant,” Nadler told CNN. “And my office is a congressional office. It’s a completely separate branch of government. A co-equal branch of government with the executive for which they work. And they had no right to come in.”

Apparently Congressman Nadler diffused the situation, and the thug(s) left his office. 

I suggested to the BIND group that Nadler should have taken the path of “good trouble,” by calling the NY Police Department and insisting they arrest the thug from Homeland Security for trespassing in his Congressional Office. Further, Nadler should’ve put his face in front of this thug and said “why don’t you arrest me for preventing you from entering my Congressional office, you fascist thug.” 

That would’ve shown the country that the Trump’s fascist lacks have no respect for our democracy and the separation of powers. 

But that’s not what happened, and the event has disappeared from the public radar. 

Congressman Nadler is now asking for a Congressional investigation of this incident despite is knowledge that the Republican/Trump controlled House of Representatives will ignore his request. 

Despite the dire state of our democracy, all of our Democratic politicians continue to follow the path of “performative politics,” when we so desperately need them to engage in “good trouble.” As our Democratic politicians have been unable to recognize that the rules of politics have changed–and so too must their political tactics, as they continue to bring a knife to a gun fight, as they have been ineffective in helping to restore democracy, it is time they step aside, before it becomes impossible to restore democracy in America.

Some Social Media Politicking 

During this morning’s bike ride, I have been posting political messages on this subject on Bluesky and X:

Democracy’s hemorrhaging as fascism rises, Democrats use PERFORMATIVE POLITICS when it is time for GOOD TROUBLE
@IndivisibleTeam.org, @50501movement.bsky.social, @moveon.org, @tribelaw.bsky.social, @Warren.senate.gov, @Markey.senate.gov, @Schumer.senate.gov, @massgovernor.bsky.social, @Pressley.house.gov

Dem. politicians who fail to recognize the rules of politics have changed & still bring a knife to a gun fight will lose
End PERFORMATIVE POLITICS
Engage in GOOD TROUBLE
Do what is needed to win
@Warren.senate.gov, @Markey.senate.gov, @Schumer.senate.gov, @massgovernor.bsky.social @Pressley.house.gov

Democracy’s hemorrhaging and fascism is on the rise yet Democrat politicians engage in PERFORMATIVE POLITICS when we need GOOD TROUBLE —or new leaders.
@IndivisibleTeam, @moveon, @50501movement, @tribelaw, @lessig, @SenWarren, @SenMarkey, @RepPressley , @SenSchumer, @ACLU, @ACLU_Mass

Two unpublished essays…

As I am still on my political rant…

With ChatGPT’s assistance I wrote two essays this week:

“When Education Becomes a Liability in American Politics” that argues:

• Anti-intellectualism is now US policy, with educated professionals portrayed as elitist and untrustworthy.
• Expertise is being sidelined in critical areas like public health, climate science, and education, despite the fact that these advances have objectively improved the lives of all humans.
• We need everyone’s help, from skilled tradespeople to trained experts to design and implement effective policy solutions.
• A return to the dark ages will adversely impact all Americans.

I also wrote: “A Bipartisan Presidential Ticket to Defeat Fascism in America”

• Trump is rewriting the rules of our democracy so fascist can never be removed from power (recall he tried this Jan 6, 2021)
• We need a bipartisan coalition that is solely focused on restoring and protecting democracy in America from people like Trump
• Potential Democrats for President e.g. Booker, Whitmer, Buttigieg, Khanna, Polis. Beshear
• Potential Republicans, with an unimpeachable pro-democracy track records for VP e.g: Cheney, Kinzinger, Luttig, recently retired Senators
• Now is not too early to begin building a coalition.
• Democrats should launch “Project Democracy 2028” to create a playbook that will  rebuild our democracy, close all legal anti-democratic loopholes, and can be implemented within 6 months.

At this point in time, I have no intentions of making either of these essays public.

I repaired my original antifascist banner.

It did look like this: 

I added a QR code and altered the text, as displayed on the Boston Commons yesterday.

My memory problem

Recently it became clear to me that part of my memory problem is a difficulty recalling nouns, which latter popped into my head.

With a better understanding of the nature of my memory problem, I did a search on ChatGPT and Claude, that provided me with reassuring information that my memory problem may not augment an increased risk of dementia.

ChatGPT:

Yes, there is medical literature specifically addressing age-related difficulty in recalling nouns, and it’s a well-documented phenomenon in cognitive neuroscience and gerontology.

Overview of the Phenomenon

• • Word-finding difficulties, especially with nouns, are among the most common age-associated cognitive complaints in healthy older adults.
  • This is often referred to as “tip-of-the-tongue” (TOT) experiences—where the person knows the word they want (often a proper noun or object name) but cannot retrieve it at that moment.
  • Research shows that noun retrieval is disproportionately affected compared to verbs and adjectives in aging.

Key Findings from the Literature

1. 1. Noun-Specific Vulnerability
      • Nouns, especially proper nouns (like names of people or places), are more vulnerable to age-related decline because they are typically less semantically rich and have fewer associative connections in the brain compared to verbs or common nouns.
      • Proper nouns (like “Barack Obama” or “Mount Everest”) are often retrieved through specific, non-redundant links, making them harder to access if those links weaken with age.

1. 2. Semantic vs. Phonological Retrieval

• • • Research distinguishes between semantic memory (knowledge of facts and concepts) and lexical retrieval (finding the word). Older adults tend to retain semantic knowledge but may struggle with lexical access, particularly phonological retrieval—the process of pulling the sound form of a word from memory.

1. 3. Brain Changes and Localization

• • • The left temporal lobe, especially the anterior temporal cortex, is involved in naming and noun retrieval. Aging-related reductions in activity or connectivity in these areas are associated with noun recall problems.
    • Functional imaging studies (e.g., fMRI, PET) show that older adults often engage broader neural networks as compensation, but this may not fully prevent occasional retrieval failures.

1. 4. Preserved Abilities

• • • Importantly, these difficulties are not strongly predictive of dementia, especially when episodic memory, reasoning, and executive function remain intact.
    • Studies like the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging have shown that occasional word-finding difficulty is common even in cognitively normal elderly.

Select Studies and Reviews

• • Burke, D. M., et al. (2000). “Language and aging.” Handbook of the Psychology of Aging.
    Discusses the mechanisms behind age-related changes in language, including noun retrieval.
  • Nicholas, M., & Brookshire, R. H. (1993). “A System for Quantifying the Informativeness and Efficiency of the Connected Speech of Adults With Aphasia.” Journal of Speech and Hearing Research.
    Included normative data from older adults on word retrieval.
  • Shafto, M. A., et al. (2007). “Word retrieval failures in normal aging: The role of blocking and relatedness.” Brain and Language, 103(1-2), 52–53.
    Studied mechanisms behind noun-specific retrieval failures.
  • Griffin, Z. M., & Spieler, D. H. (2006). “Older adults show preserved lexical competition during spoken word production.” Psychology and Aging, 21(4), 857–862.

Practical Implications and Cognitive Interventions

• • Not a red flag in isolation: Absent other signs (e.g., rapid decline, functional impairment), difficulty recalling nouns is usually benign.
  • Strategies to help:
    • Use of cueing strategies (phonemic, semantic)
    • Name-face association training
    • Regular cognitive challenges (crosswords, word games, storytelling)

Summary

Your experience—difficulty recalling nouns, particularly names—is consistent with a well-characterized and largely benign age-related cognitive pattern. The phenomenon is common among healthy, active older adults and has been explored in detail in cognitive aging literature. If this issue becomes significantly more frequent or begins to interfere with your daily functioning, it may be worth discussing with a cognitive neurologist or neuropsychologist for a baseline evaluation.

Claude AI:

Yes, there is specific medical literature addressing difficulty recalling nouns, and this phenomenon has particular significance in neurological assessment. Noun retrieval difficulties are well-documented in the medical literature as both a normal part of aging and as a potential early indicator of various conditions.

**Noun-Specific Retrieval Issues:**

Research shows that nouns are indeed more vulnerable to retrieval difficulties than other word types. This occurs because nouns typically require more precise semantic access – you need to retrieve the exact word for a specific object, person, or concept, whereas verbs and function words often have more contextual support and are used more frequently.

**Normal Aging vs. Pathological Changes:**

In normal aging, mild word-finding difficulties (often called “tip-of-the-tongue” phenomena) are common and typically involve proper nouns first, followed by common nouns. These episodes usually resolve within seconds to minutes, and the word eventually comes to mind, often later when you’re not actively trying to recall it.

However, progressive difficulty with noun retrieval, particularly when it’s part of a broader pattern of naming difficulties (called anomia), can be an early sign of mild cognitive impairment or neurodegenerative conditions. The key distinctions are:

– **Frequency and progression**: Are these episodes becoming more common or severe?

– **Recovery**: Do the words eventually come to you, or do they remain elusive?

– **Context**: Are you still able to describe the object or concept even when you can’t name it?

– **Daily function**: Is this affecting your ability to communicate effectively in important situations?

**Medical Evaluation:**

Given your medical background, you’ll appreciate that a comprehensive cognitive assessment would typically include:

– Detailed neuropsychological testing, including specific tests for naming and semantic fluency

– Assessment for other cognitive domains (memory, executive function, attention)

– Neurological examination

– Consideration of contributing factors (medications, sleep, stress, depression)

The Boston Naming Test, for example, specifically evaluates noun retrieval and is commonly used in clinical practice. More sophisticated testing can differentiate between different types of naming difficulties and their underlying mechanisms.

**Your Active Lifestyle as a Protective Factor:**

Your robust physical activity, intellectual engagement through writing and lecturing, and social connections through your various groups are all factors associated with cognitive resilience. The cognitive reserve built through lifelong learning and social engagement can help maintain function even in the presence of age-related brain changes.

**Recommendation:**

Given that you’ve noticed a change over two years, it would be reasonable to discuss this with your primary care physician or consider a consultation with a neurologist or neuropsychologist. Early evaluation can provide baseline testing, rule out treatable causes, and offer peace of mind. Many of these episodes in healthy, active individuals like yourself represent normal aging, but professional assessment can help distinguish this from other possibilities.

Your awareness of these changes, combined with your continued high-level functioning in complex activities like lecturing and writing, is actually a positive indicator. People with significant cognitive impairment often lack this level of insight into their difficulties. 

Another blog posting by Hayward Zwerling

Not uncommonly people will ask me “What can I do to prevent fascism in America?” It turns out there are things people can do; accordingly, I decided to put the answer into an essay “How to Defeat Fascism in America.”

While I usually send out email notifications to my “subscribers” when I post a new essay, I have not done so with this essay. My subscribers have received multiple notifications over the last 3 months regarding my essays about fascism and I do not want to overwhelm them with more of the same. Nevertheless I am sure I will find it useful to have this essay online as it allows me to provide a link on social media and it will be helpful in situations when the question occurs.

King Arthur and the Roundtable   (Le Morte D’Arthur)

I have been listening to the audiobook Le Morte D’Arthur, by Thomas Malory (1480.) So far the story is, essentially, some variation on the following: one (or more) knight(s) meets another knight(s), they battle, maybe somebody dies, maybe they realize they shouldn’t be fighting, and time moves on to the next battle between a different pair of combatants.

Although I am only 15% into the book, I think I’ve had enough of it. Here is a typical example from Book IV, Chapter 3 (there are 21 books). 

“And as they stood so talking, Sir Kay saw the five kings coming on horseback by themselves alone, with their spears in their hands even toward them. Lo, said Sir Kay, yonder be the five kings; let us go to them and match them. That were folly, said Sir Gawaine, for we are but three and they be five. That is truth, said Sir Griflet. No force, said Sir Kay, I will undertake for two of them, and then may ye three undertake for the other three. And therewithal, Sir Kay let his horse run as fast as he might, and struck one of them through the shield and the body a fathom, that the king fell to the earth stark dead. That saw Sir Gawaine, and ran unto another king so hard that he smote him through the body. And therewithal King Arthur ran to another, and smote him through the body with a spear, that he fell to the earth dead. Then Sir Griflet ran unto the fourth king, and gave him such a fall that his neck brake. Anon Sir Kay ran unto the fifth king, and smote him so hard on the helm that the stroke clave the helm and the head to the earth. That was well stricken, said King Arthur, and worshipfully hast thou holden thy promise, therefore I shall honour thee while that I live. And therewithal they set the queen in a barge into Humber; but always Queen Guenever praised Sir Kay for his deeds, and said, What lady that ye love, and she love you not again she were greatly to blame; and among ladies, said the queen, I shall bear your noble fame, for ye spake a great word, and fulfilled it worshipfully. And therewith the queen departed.”

May 16-30, 2025

It has been two weeks since my last diary entry. To make it clearer that some of what I record is retrospective, I’ve decided that going forward I will list only the date range of events, not the date of individual events.

Spreading the Word on My Retirement Diary 

I received a call from a financial planner who saw my Designing Your Retirement lecture advertised in the MIT Club of Boston newsletter. He asked if I’d be willing to share the material with some of his clients. I I told him I would gladly help in whatever way I could as I’m trying to get the information out to others. He could also recommend to them the PDF and video, both of which are free

Shoot the Shit Salon Returns

Gail and I hosted another Shoot the Shit Salon on Friday. We did this regularly in the summer of 2023 but less frequently in 2024. For those unfamiliar, here’s the kind of email we send to our neighbors before the event:

Subject: Shoot the Shit Salon – Today at 5:30 PM

Gail and I are hosting another Shoot the Shit Salon today (5:30–7 PM) in our backyard.

If you’re interested in joining us, please RSVP. If you don’t get this email until late but still want to stop by, feel free—we’ll be here.

We’ll have some cut-up fruit, maybe some nuts and vegetables. Feel free to bring any beverage or indulgence you’d like.

For our May 16 event, about six people showed up. It was a pleasure to gather outdoors again with the neighbors. Writing this has convinced me to host another one tonight—last minute, but if no one comes, we’ll still enjoy the evening.

Two Designing Your Retirement Lectures, Two Libraries

On May 17 and 24, I gave my Designing Your Retirement talk—first at the Cambridge Public Library, then at the Somerville Public Library. Each session had about 13 attendees. Since it had been three months since my last talk, I was worried I might forget some of the data, so I spent a fair amount of time during the week preceding the first lecture reviewing my notes and making updates.

Both talks went reasonably well. One attendee mentioned that I hadn’t specified the duration of the talk. Lately, I had expanded the lecture to two hours. Although I believe the events were advertised as a 2 hour talk (from my notes), I no longer have access to the online advertisement. Next time I’ll make the duration is explicitly stated at the beginning of the talk.

I created a video of the second lecture, edited it from two hours down to 90 minutes, added supplemental slides, and included a 15-second AI-generated soundtrack in the style of Max Richter to open the presentation. Not essential, not academic—but I thought it would add interest. [YouTube video] [updated PDF]

A NYT Nod to Retirement Planning article

The New York Times recently published an article, “What Happens to Your Brain When You Retire?” It echoed many of the points from my lecture: the importance of having a retirement plan (what I call a Strategic Retirement Plan), maintaining friendships, finding purpose, and embracing new experiences—the mantra I push is “Just say yes” to every new opportunity.

REMBrunch and the Attendance Conundrum

Our monthly REMBrunch men’s group met again on the third Wednesday. We had about five attendees (I need to start tracking attendance). I’m considering inviting an additional person, as I want to maintain a reliable turnout of at least four participants, but no more than eight. It’s a balancing act, as individual attendance will vary with the seasons.

Protest at Harvard Commencement

One of my Thursday MIT Club of Boston bike rides was canceled due to rain, and I canceled this week’s ride to attend a protest I organized for May 29, timed to coincide with Harvard’s 374th Commencement. 

Here was the posting/advertisement I used on my blog, with variation on social media

Stop 47 on May 29: Democracy Is on the Line

Harvard’s Commencement will draw global press coverage.

Let’s show the world that Massachusetts stands for science, democracy, free speech, and the U.S. Constitution—and against Trump’s fascist, anti-science regime.

📍 Cambridge Common, near 1500 Massachusetts Ave

🕘 Thursday, 5/29/25, 9 AM–1 PM

🪧 Bring a banner and a friend. Join the fight.

🚇 Take the MBTA to Harvard Square; walk north to the Common.

📣 Be on the right side of history. Your grandchildren will thank you.

I was most frustrated that I could not get Indivisible to post this on their website. I simply got a message back that the location was not approved. No explanation as to why. In my opinion, this was most unfortunate as it would’ve markedly increase my attendance and the venue had lots of press. In fact, I was ultimately interviewed by somebody from Estonia news, Tokyo news, and pictures were taking by a photographer from Getty Images.

On the day before the protest I did a “dry-run,” I set up my banner on the Cambridge Common. A Cambridge Department of Public Works employee approached me to tell me that banners weren’t allowed on “public property. I told him that I had called the Cambridge police (who were very professional on the phone) a few days earlier and they had cleared the event. The employee and his supervisor spent a fair amount of time trying to figure out what to do. Ultimately, he told me I could protest there, but I could not fix my banner to the fence. He had noticed that there were two bungee cords attaching the banner to the fence, which I removed. Fortunately, he had not noticed the black zip ties.

It should be noted that since 1630, Cambridge Common has been public property since 1630 and “[o]n July 3, 1775, George Washington formally took command of the Continental Army on Cambridge Common in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This historic moment marked the beginning of Washington’s leadership in the American Revolutionary War after being appointed Commander-in-Chief by the Second Continental Congress.”

I arrived at the Cambridge Common protest site on 5/29 at 6:30 AM. The banner takes 45 minutes to assemble. The Harvard Commencement procession began around 8:00 AM, some of the students in graduation gowns were led by a musician playing a bagpipe, another group was following a musician playing more contemporary music. The commencement ceremony went from nine until 11:45 AM. I left the protest site at about 12:15 PM as only six people showed up—some friends  and a few stranger, who didn’t stay long, likely uncomfortable being part of such a small crowd. I can’t blame them. Still, I received positive reactions from students and passersby about the banner’s message, and I don’t regret showing up.

I’ll bring my banners. If wind speeds exceed 15 mph, I’ll need people to hold both ends of the banner.

Theater Night: Rabbit Hole

Gail and I saw the Pulitzer Prize winning play Rabbit Hole in Reading, MA, recommended by a fellow REMBrunch attendee. The play deals with a couple coping with the death of their young child. Other characters include extended family and the driver involved in the fatal accident.

The acting and production were strong. While I found the play’s ending a bit weak, and I believed the production could have greater emotional impact, I would still recommend the play and am glad we went.

Cycling Goals and Banner Lessons

I’m still cycling regularly, though lately averaging only 2.5 two-hour rides per week—I’d like to hit 3. The shortfall is mostly due to weather. But summer is here, and I’m considering another century ride like I did in October 2021.

I also listened to a lecture about making protest banners and learned several useful tips. While my current setup is effective and gets attention, there are more economical methods available: https://www.backbonecampaign.org/banners.

A new Audiobook: Le Morte D’Arthur

I have started listening to the audiobook Le Morte D’Arthur read by Chris MacDonnell and original put into writing by Sir Thomas Malory in 1480, about King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, Merlin and the Knights of the Round Table. So far, I am only 8% into the 36 hour saga, it is just “OK.”

On More Thing…

I thought it would be interesting to assemble a list of all Trump’s Executive decrees that have been put on hold by the various courts. I started working with ChatGPT and Gemini to assemble a list and then it occurred to me (duh!) that it was likely somebody has already done this: Lawfare and Just Security.

I really wanted to know how many cases Trump won/lost but this is going to be far more complicated as I initially suspected as litigation with Trump will go on forever and never really be decided. So the court’s interim decisions, the decision to stop or allow the executive action to continue in effect until the final resolution of the case is very important to the lives of a lot of people.

PS: This entry May 16-30, took about 6 hours to write!!

May 15, 2025:

I had to cancel this morning’s MIT Club of Boston Thursday Cycling group ride because the weather forecast predicted it would continue to rain until shortly after the event was to begin. The rain actually stopped just before 10 AM – our scheduled start time. I ended up cycling later in the day but had to cut short my 22 mile ride to 18 mile as it began to  rain on me.

In two days, I’ll be giving my Designing Your Retirement lecture to the MIT Club of Boston for the fifth and sixth time (on May 17 and 24—both talks are open to the public). To date, I’ve delivered this lecture about a dozen times to various audiences, and I’m still trying to expand the venues—so far without success.

It’s been about three months since I last gave the talk, and I’m worried I’ve forgotten too much. In preparation, I’ve been re-reading my Designing Your Retirement PDF. That process revealed a lot of grammatical weaknesses in the text, so I’ve been using ChatGPT to help improve the writing. I posted an updated version of the PDF dated May 14.

The editing took ten days—far more time than I expected. Now, I’ve started re-watching videos of my past lectures, trying to relearn what I once knew. I hope most of the content comes back to me during the upcoming sessions.

Democracy in America is now in our rearview

I am quite freaked out about the fact that democracy in America is now in our rearview mirror, and Trump is now consolidating his power as America’s fascist-in-chief. The corruption of his administration is unprecedented in American history. Anyone who thinks otherwise is either willfully ignorant or willfully blind.

He and his family are literally earning billions of dollars because he is the President of the United States. He seems to believe that every deal the U.S. makes with a foreign power, and many domestic federal projects should benefit him personally. So much for the Foreign Emoluments Clause—or the oath he took to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Today, I sent the following email to the people on my IHaveAnIdea.us mailing list:

—-

To my subscribers, friends, and family,

I want to call your attention to a sobering video published by The New York Times, in which three prominent academics who study fascism explain why they are leaving the United States to live in Canada.

This link should allow non-subscribers to view the video: 

I am reminded of Martin Niemöller’s poem:

First they came for the Communists,
and I did not speak out—because I was not a Communist

Then they came for the Socialists,
and I did not speak out—because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me,
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

History teaches us that many German Jews delayed emigrating as Hitler rose to power, believing they were safe—until it was too late.

I do not know how one decides what is the right thing to do.  My gut tells me that now is not the time to leave—but Germany’s Jews…

For me, the choice is clear. I have nowhere else to go, and at my age, I am prepared to do whatever is necessary. Leaving is not on my agenda. 

Each of us must decide where we stand. The options are stark:

• • Support the fascist and hope you are spared.
  • Stay silent and hope you remain invisible.
  • Flee while you still can.
  • Stand up and fight, whatever the consequences. 

Not to decide is to decide.

A link to organizations/events fighting for democracy is at the bottom of this webpage: When Democracies Die: It’s Time to Act.

And yes, I am scared.

Hayward

—-

Pro-Democracy  efforts

I’m trying to figure out how to expand my involvement in the pro-democracy movement. Time is critical. The longer Trump remains in power, the more he tightens his grip—and the less likely it is that he will ever be removed or held accountable for his treasonous behavior.

I recently heard—possibly in the video above—that defeating fascism requires three essential elements:

• An independent judiciary
• Intellectually rigorous and independent universities
• A free press

Elsewhere, I have read (and written) that it requires mass demonstrations involving ≥3.5% of the population and the episodic disruption of the economic, social and political system, see: When Democracies Die: It’s Time to Act

I have come to believe that most Americans don’t really care about democracy-or their kids’ future. They care about their short-term finances. If Trump manages to improve the economy, he—or his chosen successor—will likely remain in the White House for the rest of my life.

Beowolf

I’m about two-thirds of the way through Beowulf, and I’m enjoying it. I’m reading Maria Dahvana Headley’s contemporary translation, which is very modern in tone, with frequent use of the word “Bro” and a liberal sprinkling of expletives—it reflects a certain cultural demographic and interpretation of masculinity.

I might go back and listen to the audio version, which has multiple readers: https://grandjournal.net/bro-this-is-the-beowulf-weve-been-waiting-for/

On my bike ride this afternoon I finished Beowolf and I am struck by the similarities between Baywolf and Odysseus. With ChatGPT’s help of constructed this chart.

I enjoyed them both. Beowulf is very short, the Odyssey is very long.

May 14, 2025:

We had a very successful ReeBrunch — seven attendees, with one person away for the next two months. For the first time, we were able to sit outside. The conversation flowed well; when it did slow, I asked, “What are you doing in your retirement?” and we were off to the races again, with D describing the details of his braille-related projects

That evening, Gail and I attended the MIT Club of Boston’s annual meeting, which featured a lecture (https://alumcommunity.mit.edu/events/114305). It was one of the most unusual academic talks I’ve encountered — more stream of consciousness than didactic. The speaker emphasized the value of questions as tools to deepen understanding and redirect conversations. Or at least, that’s how I interpreted it.

I will again try to get a newspaper to publish this letter to the editor:

Title: A Cry for New Political Leadership: Before Democracy’s Door is Bolted Shut

To the Editor:

We no longer need to enumerate the many ways Donald Trump has violated his oath to uphold the Constitution. America’s democracy is gasping for air.

Despite the crisis, Democratic leadership—though principled and well-intentioned—clings to an outdated political playbook. Meanwhile, Trump disregards norms, defies constitutional mandates, dismantles democratic institutions, and disobeys court rulings as he steers America toward authoritarianism.

Democracy is out of time. In the face of this existential threat, performative politics is a dangerous distraction.

We urgently need voices with the moral clarity and urgency this moment demands—voices that will challenge the Democratic status quo and reclaim the party with a singular focus on halting our descent into authoritarianism.

If you recognize that America is sliding into authoritarianism, and you have a plan to restore our democracy—now is the time to step forward. America’s democracy can still be resurrected—if we act today, before Trump bolts the door shut.

May 11, 2025:

Gail suggested I read Beowulf, which I had never read. I found a contemporary translation by Maria Dahvana Headley and began listening to it during my walks and bike rides. The audiobook I am listening to is narrated by the author and JD Jackson.

Here are two reviews of the Headley translation:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/08/31/a-beowulf-for-our-moment
https://www.npr.org/2020/08/27/906423831/bro-this-is-not-the-beowulf-you-think-you-know 

From the NPR review:

“I don’t care what you think of when you think of Beowulf in any of its hundreds of other translations because this — this — version, Headley’s version, is an entirely different thing. It is its own thing. A remarkable thing that probably shouldn’t even exist, except that it does… Headley’s Beowulf is a big release — discussed, debated, talked about (as it should be) because it has everything: Love, sex, murder, magic, dungeons, dragons, giants, monsters”

May 10, 2025:

Gail and I attended our niece’s college graduation party at J & J’s home. As a result, I had to miss PorchFest, but it was nice connecting with the family members, especially those who live on the west coast.

May 9, 2025:

For Mother’s Day, Gail and I visited the Museum of Fine Arts to see the Van Gogh exhibit. We were both deeply impressed. I was impressed how the exhibit made him seem “human.” For example, it demonstrated, using his letters, professional ambition to redefine art, and his hope that people would continue to see his work in 100 years. His letters to his brother also acknowledges his personal failures, especially in forming his own family, and his success in finding a family he was essentially able to join – by painting them many times.

May 8, 2025

I led my first successful MIT Club of Boston cycling event, with 11 cyclists participating.

The following appeared in the MITCOB newsletter alongside a photo: 

The MIT Club of Boston Thursday Cycling Group launched its inaugural ride this week under ideal spring conditions. Eleven members gathered at Arlington’s Thorndike Field parking lot, conveniently located near Alewife Station on the MBTA Red Line. We followed the Minuteman Bikeway to Lexington, where about half the group peeled off to head home or to work. The rest of us continued on to Depot Park in Bedford for a brief break before looping back to Arlington, with a stop at the Kickstand Café for coffee, snacks, and conversation. Join us next Thursday at 10 AM (weather permitting) for another ride along the Minuteman Bikeway. New riders welcome! 

May 7, 2025

I listened in on a one-hour Zoom call from Mobilize.us about organizing protests on highway overpasses. I’m exploring ways to become more involved in the pro-democracy movement, which has become one of my “purposes” and primary volunteer activities.

We also had another successful “ReeBrunch, Too” gathering.

May 5, 2025:

Our Somerville Open Studios event was a success. Over the course of two days, I suspect I spoke with more than 100 people, sharing the stories behind my various projects. It was my impression that they were genuinely interested. Many even told me I was a “local celebrity” because of the elephant and giraffe sculptures I installed along the Somerville Community Path.

One woman, Katie, came over to show me photos and videos she and her husband had taken last Halloween. They created wearable, functional hats based on my giraffe and elephant sculptures. She said that while wearing them, they felt like celebrities—everyone stopped them to take photos. Back in November, two strangers emailed me those photos afterward. I was delighted to meet Katie in person; she gave me copies of their photos and the video. Apparently, she and her partner (both MIT alum) is a mechanical engineer and designed the moving parts that made the hats function. That encounter brought me a great deal of joy.

Unfortunately, rain cut both days short: on Saturday, we had to take down the display one hour early (noon -5 PM), and on Sunday (noon-3PM), we packed up three hours ahead of schedule.

More Meaningful Social Relationships

On 8/7/24 I wrote the essay: On My Failure to Acquire Meaningful Social Relationships. 

Today, I am happy to report that my efforts to foster meaningful social relationships through my retirement brunch groups and other social activities are bearing fruit. Four people from REMBrunch and two ReeBrunch groups came to our home (some bringing their spouses) to anttend our Somerville Open Studios event. That was so gratifying–hurrah! And we have been out to dinner with two REMBrunch members, with their spouses, more than once), and to theater with another ReeBrunch member.

I guess the takeaway message is that it takes time; my REMBrunch group has been meeting for about two years and the two ReeBrunch groups had been meeting for 3 and 8 months.

I recently came across a statement from Robert Waldinger, M.D., the current director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, who said

“The people in our 75 year study who were the happiest in retirement were the people who had actively worked to replace workmates with new playmates.”

Today, I was supposed to work on my Designing Your Retirement presentation, which I’ll be giving at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education this Saturday—and again at two subsequent Saturdays for the MIT Club of Boston. Instead, I spent most of the day updating my website, adding two new sections: The Making Of…[platter, giraffe, elephant] and Why I Create Things. These grew out of the explanatory posters I made for our Somerville Open Studios event.

My prior experience has convinced me that when I procrastinate like this, I’m more ready than I realize. I learned this in college when studying for tests: once I stopped studying and began procrastinating, I learned that I was done studying and could play without guilt.

Musings on Creativity

Lately, I’ve been thinking about creativity. Why do some people seem more creative than others? How do we define creativity? Does it arise solely from inspiration—or can it be cultivated?

Looking back at my own portfolio and reflecting on comments from others, I’ve begun to realize that I’m probably more “creative” than most people. While external stimuli often trigger a project, it’s the iterative process of refinement—my drive to continually improve the piece—that transforms the initial idea into something others view as “creative.”

I recently listened to a TED talk by a Stanford professor who teaches about creativity and AI. During the talk, he turned to his teaching partner, Grammy-winning hip-hop artist Lecrae, and asked, “What do you think about inspiration?” Lecrae replied, “Inspiration is a discipline.”

Many people known for their creative accomplishments—including Ray Bradbury, Octavia Butler, Ira Glass, Jasper Johns, Stephen King, Linus Pauling, Pablo Picasso, and Twyla Tharp—have said or implied that inspiration is overrated as the starting point of the creative process. Instead, they argue that creativity is the result of discipline, perseverance, and the consistent production of a high volume of work.

That seems about right to with me.

May 2, 2025:

I spent much of the day preparing for our Somerville Open Studios event, which will take place in our backyard on May 3 and 4, weather permitting.

May 1, 2025:

In the morning, I hosted my weekly MIT Club of Boston cycling ride. Only one person showed up, as was the case last week, but this participant wasn’t affiliated with MIT. He learned of the ride through my social media outreach. We rode out to Bedford together, then parted ways—he continued west, training for a century ride, while I turned around and headed home.

In the evening, Gail and I attended a talk at MIT by artist Es Devlin. It was essentially a retrospective of her career, presented as an interview with the artistic director of MoMA in New York City. We saw slides of her many installations and heard her speak about the importance of collaboration in her creative process.

We had seen one of her installations in New York, about a year ago, and I was impressed by her expansive creativity. Her work often involves large-scale staging for theater and major events like the Super Bowl. When Gail and I were in London last October, we saw The Lehman Trilogy, which featured staging designed by Es Devlin—it was extraordinary.

April 30, 2025:

I displayed my new banner over I-93 at a rotary in Medford. The banner and mounting equipment weigh about five pounds, so I rigged a way to strap everything onto my dolly, making it much easier to transport from my car to the setup location. The banner carries a pro-democracy message—part of my ongoing effort to raise public awareness.

In the evening, Gail and I attended an MIT lecture by Es Devlin—an incredibly creative artist—on “What’s New in AI.” Four MIT professors also spoke, though I’m not sure I learned anything new. On the way to the lecture, I decided to try uploading images of my woodworking creations to ChatGPT to see if it can help spark new ideas for future projects—such as new structural designs, artistic flourishes, or novel mechanical features.

April 29, 2025:

In the morning, I unsuccessfully tried to get the banner company to reprint my design with the correct text. (Long story, not worth recounting.) I’ll just use the sign they sent me—as the fate of American democracy won’t hinge on which banner I display in the Boston area–I will use what I have.

In the afternoon, I created an advertisement for the upcoming MIT Club of Boston lecture at the Somerville Public Library and also promoted my Thursday morning MIT Club cycling event on social media. I hope a few riders show up on May 1.

April 28, 2025:

My MIT Club of Boston Designing Your Retirement lecture sold out for May 17, and I now have a waitlist of 6–8 people. Since the Cambridge Public Library limits me to two sessions per quarter, I scheduled an additional talk at the Somerville Public Library. The Somerville facilities are not nearly as nice, but they’ll have to do. Attendance is uncertain—parking in Davis Square is a major issue.

I started listening to Year Zero by Rob Reid, recommended by a speaker during MIT’s Space Week at The Search for Life in the Universe lecture. It’s a mildly humorous science fiction audiobook. The premise: alien civilizations have been listening to American music since the 1970s. As their laws obligate them obey “primitive cultures” laws, they have recently learned that they have been pirating our music and now owe Earth trillions of trillions of dollars in royalties—more than all the money in the universe—so they decide their only option is to get Earth to destroy itself, as happens with many primitive cultures who begin to use advance technology. There’s also a love story and lots of odd alien characters. It’s not laugh-out-loud funny, but the satirical premise and quirky cast keep it entertaining enough to finish.

Also: cycled again.

April 27, 2025:

I finalized my Somerville Open Studios presentation “The Process of Creation” which we’ll host in our backyard on May 3–4.

On our deck, under the awning, I’ll feature:

Tensegrity Rocking Side-Table: From Inspiration to Finished Table

George the Giraffe & Big Poppy: From Inspiration to Final Creation

Elly the Elephant: From Inspiration to Final Creation

Evolution of a Project: coasters, cutting board, platter

I will also include my Loop Table, Rock Table, and Boomerang Table.

April 26, 2025:

In the afternoon, Gail and I attended Crowns at Arrow Street Arts. It’s a play about Black women in the South who wear elaborate hats to church for various personal reasons. Gail loved it—she’s very into fashion. I thought it was entertaining, especially the gospel music (which is always fun), though I wouldn’t call it a great production.

April 25, 2025:

Cycled again.

Spent much of the day preparing for Somerville Open Studios (May 3–4). In past years, Gail and I displayed our work outside—her paintings with my frames hung on the fence, my woodworking on the driveway—but the weather may not cooperate this time. Gail will use her SheShed studio, and I’ll set up on the back deck under the deck awning. Because I can’t show much furniture this year, I’m creating a collage that illustrates my creative process—from initial idea through prototypes to a final product (which I still call a prototype, as I build quickly and not to fine-woodworker standards). Hopefully some of the attendees will find this documentation of the “creation” process interesting. I’ll also have the end products on display.

In the evening, Gail and I went to an MIT lecture on The Search for Life in the Universe, part of “Space Week” at MIT. the scientists explained (although I already knew) rock samples returned by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission from the asteroid Bennu contained 14 of the 20 amino acids (the fundamental components of proteins) and all five nucleobases—adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine, and uracil (the fundamental components of DNA and RNA.) All four panelists were convinced that we’ll eventually find life elsewhere, though it will likely be microbial at first.

April 24, 2025:

Morning: two-hour bike ride.

At noon, Gail and I met with a contractor who gave us an estimate. I was impressed by the contractor and the quotes seem reasonable. We have three more quotes pending.

Mid-afternoon, I met with AS, a local artist and woodworker. A new member of my REMBrunch group saw my creations when he can to my home for an interview. I guess he was impressed and suggested to his friend, AS, that AS contact me.

In the evening, Gail and I attended the Somerville Open Studios artist reception at the Somerville Museum. She has a painting in the exhibit; I submitted my child’s rocking chair.

April 23, 2025:

Attended an MIT Zoom lecture by Barbara Imperiali, who discussed her work using chemistry to understand biological processes. She spent a fair amount of time discussing the importance of breaking down boundaries between disciplines. This is something MIT has been noted for for a long time and something that I have been telling young people, they should think about doing in their education, i.e. a major and a minor that are completely distinct subject fields.

April 22, 2025:

Late morning: interviewed a woman (DZ) interested in joining my REEBrunch group. She seems like a good fit. Although she did not attend MIT, she has very strong ties to the MIT community.

Midday: two-hour bike ride on the Minuteman Bikeway.

Early evening: Gail and I went to a Central Square Theater fundraiser for the Catalyst Collaborative. This joint MIT–Central Square Theater initiative promotes science-themed plays and is now in its 20th year. I’ve donated before and will again. The productions are sometimes uneven but often quite good.

April 21, 2025: Patriots Day in Boston

Picked Gail up at the airport at 6 AM. After I dropped her at home I went to the Charlestown end of the Bill Russell Bridge to set up my banner. About an hour later, a “No Kings” rally took place at the bridge’s midpoint. I avoided that location—not just because of the crowd, but the winds would be stronger over the bridge making banner management more difficult and I did not want to disassemble and then reassemble the banner (30-40 minutes).

At about 9 AM, I learned that Paul Revere’s annual Patriot Day ride would pass by me at about 10:15 AM on his ride from Boston to Charlestown; so I positioned myself for a photo of him riding past my banner. I had originally hoped to catch him during the Lexington-Concord reenactment on April 20 but logistics made it unworkable. Fortunately, I got a great photo that I have been redistributing on social media.

April 20, 2025:
Gail was in California visiting the kids, so I spent Easter at A and L’s house in Milton, MA. I stayed for about two hours, enjoyed some family conversation, and then headed home when the Easter egg hunt began.

April 19, 2025:

The reader should know that sometimes I dictate a block of days in one sitting. For example, the entries below, April 14–April 19 were all created on April 19, based on a review of my calendar and my fallible memory. It took me about 3 hours to create and post this segment ( April 14–April 19 ) to My Retirement Diary.

This morning, I displayed my banner on the Bill Russell Bridge, which connects Charlestown and downtown Boston. I still need to find better locations to display my banner.

Right now, it is too damn hot outside, 80°. I had to open all the windows to try to warm up the house, as the house temperature was about 67°. Not sure what I’m going to do with the rest of the day. Maybe I will spend the late afternoon driving around to scout out better venues for displaying my banner during rush hour.

Sometimes, like right now, I don’t have any agenda. When that happens, I become uncomfortable. I think I will see if The Burren has music scheduled for this evening that I might enjoy.

April 18, 2025:

I decided that my photographs of my Tensegrity Rocking Side-Table (see 4/13/25 entry), which I want to submit it to Fine Woodworking magazine, are not adequate, as the lighting and background are less than ideal. In the near future I will try photographing the table using indirect lighting and see if that produces a better result.

When it warmed up at midday, I cycled my usual route; that’s when the idea occurred to me to send a letter to the Boston Globe:

To the Editor:

It is no longer necessary to enumerate the many ways Donald Trump has violated his oath to uphold the Constitution. We all know: America’s democracy is gasping for air.

Despite the crisis, Massachusetts’ federal legislators—though principled and well-intentioned—continue to follow an outdated political playbook, while Trump gleefully tramples historic norms, defies constitutional mandates, dismantles institutions, and ignores court rulings when it suits his—and Project 2025’s—authoritarian aims.

Democracy is out of time.

Since our current political leaders have failed to meet the moment, a new generation must rise to the challenge. We urgently need bold, unrelenting voices—young leaders with the moral clarity and urgency this moment demands—to challenge the Democratic status quo and reclaim the party with a singular focus on halting our descent into autocracy while strengthening the guardrails of democracy.

I urge Democratic politicians with a plan to save our democracy to announce their campaigns without delay. The path forward will not be easy. But democracy’s door remains ajar. There is still time to restore the democracy we cherish—before he bolts it shut.

I have no expectations they will publish it, so I also sent it to a local paper, the Somerville Times.

Of course, one may ask: Why do I spend time writing letters to the editor, knowing it is extraordinarily unlikely the letter will get published?

Maybe it’s because I’m an optimist, maybe it’s because I need to write the letter to get the thought out of my mind, or maybe because I think I have something novel and important to say that should be part of the public dialog. In 1991, I wrote a letter (the Internet was still a decade away) to the Globe that was prominently published on Christmas Day—and, subsequently, my suggestion was implemented!

At the end of the day, I created a new banner (Defend Democracy! Defeat fascism!) that will go on the reverse side of my current banner (Fascism is coming to the U.S.A.).

April 17, 2025:

During the morning rush hour, I displayed my banner for about 1 hour near the Mass Pike. I need a better display venue.

This was going to be the first actual MIT Club of Boston cycling event, which likely would have attracted several cyclists. The weather was no longer too cold or rainy. Unfortunately, I had to cancel the event as I was required to deliver my frame/photograph to the Somerville Arts Council’s Inside-Out Gallery at 11 AM. This was most unfortunate, but there was no way around it. I will try again next Thursday.

In the evening, I attended the MITCOBx lectures. If I recall correctly, there were six short lectures, each about 8-15 minutes long. Each professor presented their work in terms that were mostly comprehensible by the educated lay public. Topics included mapping dark matter in our galaxy, producing pharmaceuticals more efficiently, cognition, predicting the movement of the worm C. elegans based on which of its 304 neurons are activated, using mathematics to understand and predict a disparate range of problems (hard science to political lobbying). 

After the lecture, hors d’oeuvres were served to provide an opportunity for conversation between the attendees and the scientists. I’ve never felt comfortable striking up conversations with strangers at conferences; I need to put more effort into overcoming this defect.

________________________________

April 16, 2025:

In the morning, we had our REMBrunch group at a local cafe. There were five of us, three were absent. Our newest member introduced himself, and the conversation was again engaging; we did talk a lot about politics, as it is impossible to ignore events. We explained that there is no conversational “agenda,” we discuss a range of topics, personal events, music, ideas, etc. I was delighted to see that as the newest member was walking away from the cafe, he was walking side-by-side with one of our longtime members, still deep in conversation.

Midday, during the warmest part of the day, I cycled my usual two-hour route.

In the evening I saw the movie Dune, by David Lynch, which was released in 1984. This was a 70 mm version and apparently it is the only copy of the movie in this format that is still in existence. The person who introduced the movie was quite thrilled about the 70 mm print and the quality of the theater’s projection equipment. Maybe the audience was too, because the theater was packed. I’ve seen parts of this movie, but I don’t think I sat through the whole thing. It was “OK.” The upgraded Somerville Theater sound system is excellent, but some of the battle scenes were too loud.

________________________________

April 15, 2025:

As one of the members of my REMBrunch group is moving to the west coast, I interviewed a new person to see if he would be a good fit with the group. It turned out he would be a good addition as he is intellectually curious, articulate, and fun to talk with. He will start with us tomorrow. Hopefully, he will eventually conclude that attending our group adds value to his retired life.

I listened to a Zoom lecture called “Speak Up for Justice.” This was a group of lawyers and judges who were trying to make the public aware of the attack on the judiciary. Apparently, judges and their families, including children, are being attacked regularly. One of the judges gave a very moving account of how her son was killed when he answered the front door at her home to receive a pizza. Now, people are threatening to ‘deliver pizzas’ to judges and their families—an ominous euphemism.

Unfortunately, during the conversation, nobody mentioned the name of the one person who is responsible for these attacks, Donald Trump. I’m not going to spend time justifying that statement as I’ve discussed this issue innumerable times in my blog. Suffice it to say that the moderator told me that some of the judges would not participate in the talk if Trump’s name was used as it might appear partisan. I understand that viewpoint. However, if the blame is not explicitly laid at Trump’s feet, it is unrealistic to expect members of the public who are unaware of Trump’s attacks on the judiciary to understand the stakes and what actions are needed if we hope to defend the independence of our judiciary and the safety of our judges, lawyers, and their families. 

That led to this social media post of mine:

There is only one person responsible for the attack on our judiciary, yet the recent #SpeakUpForJustice event failed to mention his name. How can you expect to reverse America’s slide into fascism if you fail to call out its cause? Being anti-fascism is a non-partisan goal. IHaveAnIdea.us/democracy

And I cycled again today.

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April 14, 2025:

I drove Gail to the airport, she is off to Napa for a week primarily to hang out with our granddaughter. While she enjoys spending extended time with our granddaughter, I get bored after an hour, so I decided that I would not join her this time, as our granddaughter will be visiting us for a week around July 4 weekend at the old family home in Scituate.

I cycled my usual 23 miles on the Minuteman Bikeway. It is finally warmed up in the Boston area, so I think henceforth I’ll be able to cycle thrice weekly. 

I recently read of a Stanford study that found walking was associated with an increase in creative thinking, and there are other articles as well e.g. The New Yorker 2014.

I’ve noticed that when I’m cycling my mind wanders and new ideas pop into my head, such as a topic for an essay, an email I should send, a new woodworking project, a refinement for my Designing Your Retirement lecture, something to do with one of my retirement brunch groups, an improvement for my blog, or maybe a new activity to engage in.

When an idea presents itself while I’m cycling, I will attempt to dictate a Note or Reminder into my iPhone; I wear headphones to listen to an audiobook or music, so I don’t have to touch the phone. This attempt at dictation while cycling is frequently inaccurate, so I need to stop by the side of the trail to dictate. 

One recent example of this idea-dictation is my Letter to the Editor of the Boston Globe as described in my April 18 entry, above.

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April 13, 2025: 

This past week I saw Her Portmanteau at Central Square Theater. This play is part of the nine play series (The Ufot Family Cycle) which explores the immigrant’s experience from the perspective of a person and family coming from Africa to the United States. While I enjoyed the play, I think there was more emotional depth within the script that could’ve been brought into the theatrical production. I don’t know how, but I’m pretty sure it was there. Several other theaters in the Boston area have done other plays in The Ufot Family Cycle.

We had another ReeBrunch session this week. There were 7 people in attendance, including one new member. The group has been meeting since September and the conversation rarely flags. Not surprisingly, the was a lot of interest in talking about politics, but eventually one member steered the conversation beyond politics – appropriately.

Personally, I am now of the opinion that the only way to prevent fascism from taking over the United States is if there is a major catastrophic event, such as a depression or recession. So, if I have to choose a depression or democracy, I’ll choose democracy every time. But this pessimistic Outlook will not dissuade me from continuing to display my pro-democracy banner.

I spent some time re-working the display for my banner. I just have to wait for the weather to be appropriate so I can go out and display it during rush-hour.

I’m happy to report that both Gail and I got one of our artistic creations accepted into the Somerville Council of the Arts juried show “Somerville Open Studios’ Inside-Out Gallery”, which will be displayed from mid-April to mid-May. I will post a photo here when the display goes live.

Next week is the 250th anniversary of the beginning of the American Revolutionary War. Both Lexington and Concord are going to have celebrations, as they are the location of the “shot heard round the world,” beginning the battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. The below is from Wikipedia’s American Revolutionary War webpage:

The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which American Patriot forces organized as the Continental Army and commanded by George Washington defeated the British Army. The conflict was fought in North America, the Caribbean, and the Atlantic Ocean. The war’s outcome seemed uncertain for most of the war. But Washington and the Continental Army’s decisive victory in the Siege of Yorktown in 1781 led King George III and the Kingdom of Great Britain to negotiate an end to the war in the Treaty of Paris two years later, in 1783, in which the British monarchy acknowledged the independence of the Thirteen Colonies, leading to the establishment of the United States as an independent and sovereign nation.

Maybe I’ll display my banner in Concord or Lexington, I’m not yet sure. Gail will be away so I’m going to have to do this by myself.

Gail and I had dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Field and Vine (Union Square, Somerville) with M & E. They are always fun and interesting to talk with. M is in my REMBrunch group and E is an prize winning journalist and science writer, her most recent book is Slippery Beast, which is “An unsuspectingly thrilling account of one of marine life’s most enigmatic creatures.”

I finally finished my tensegrity rocking side-table.

I really like how it fits into our living room…

Here is a collage of photos mapping the evolution of this project’s creative process.

We awoke yesterday to find snow on the ground. Fuck, winter is still here. It is time for winter to move on.

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April 7, 2025: Some press coverage

I am happy to report that photos of my banner were seen in articles in The Guardian, The Washington Post, and The New York Times.

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April 5, 2025: HandsOff 2025 Rally – A Tactical Success

Today we attended the HandsOff! Rally at the Washington Monument. I had spent the past two weeks trying to create a freestanding contraption to hold my banner. 

Ultimately, I did manage to build something—not as good as the Pickleball stand I’ve been using, but made from piping that is no more than ¾ inch, as required by National Park Service rules. Of course, no one else on site seemed to follow those rules.

Anyway, I initially set up the banner at ground level, and it worked fine. Later, Gail suggested we raise it higher since the crowd was getting dense and it was hard to see. I reconfigured the setup so we could raise the banner so the lower edge was 6.5 feet above our heads, and this worked great. It did require us to hold the poles, but I have no doubt it was the most appreciated and most photographed banner at the rally.

Since I chose a location away from the stage, it is likely my banner will not appear in national media coverage, but I don’t regret our choice of placement. 

Also, as a result of our location and the need to remain by the sign, we were unable to see or hear the stage or get a sense of the total number of people who attended.

In the end, I think we all immensely enjoyed our participation in this rally and felt like we did something meaningful. Whether or not this is going to help promote the rebirth of democracy in America, or whether we’re going to continue our dreadful slide into authoritarianism, and maybe fascism, is to be decided. So, it was a tactical success but it is TBD if it will lead to a strategic success.

There was tremendous enthusiasm among the crowd—but I remain gravely concerned about the future of democracy in America. Maybe this is the beginning of a shift. Tuesday’s election offered a glimmer of hope: the Democrat won the Wisconsin Supreme Court race by 10%, and the Republican margin in two Florida districts dropped from 30% to about 15%. And Trump’s tariffs have resulted in a 10% drop in the stock market.

Unfortunately, the North Carolina Supreme Court recently ruled that many of the 60,000 voters in a Democratic district must re-verify their identity, after which there will be a recount. We’re talking about a margin Democrat margin of victory of only 742 votes, so I wouldn’t be surprised if this flips the result from Democratic to Republican. This is exactly the tactic Republicans are using nationally: if they lose, they exploit any opportunity to reverse the outcome—even when the mechanism of reversal has no historical precedent and contradicts prior judicial rulings. This is how fascists win elections.

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April 4, 2025: Drive from Somerville to DC

Gail and I drove to DC to visit our friends D and R for a few days; we’ve been friends for 40 years, having met during our internship and residency at Vanderbilt.

We left Somerville around 7 AM and arrived at their house in Silver Spring, MD at 5 PM, with just one charging stop—total travel time was about 9 hours. Tesla’s Autodrive mode made the trip far more pleasant than it otherwise would have been, just as it helped on my July 2024 drive from Somerville to San Francisco and back.

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April 2, 2025: Great Lecture about History and Today

I listened to Dr. Drew Gilpin Faust and Jon Meacham—both noted historians—speak on “Democracy Through the Lens of History” at the Kennedy Institute of Politics. Meacham is a fantastic storyteller and a fountain of historical insight. I highly recommend this talk

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April 1, 2025:  Another ReeBrunch, Too

We had six people attend our third “ReeBrunch, Too” group. Our political discussion became a bit too confrontational, in my opinion, so I’ll need to figure out how to handle that if it happens again. Given the current political climate, I don’t believe we should or can avoid discussing politics—it’s simply too important. But we need to learn how to talk about it respectfully and amicably.

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March 31, 2025:  A Play, A New Audiobook

At the suggestion of a friend (J), I listened to Uncle Vanya—Chekhov’s play—on audiobook. It’s about a family of seven Russians living on their rural estate in the countryside around 1890, and the local physician who visits regularly. The production left something to be desired.

The story is of a group of people plagued by overwhelming boredom (nothing happens and/or they have nothing to do) and unrequited love. Ultimately, the estate’s owner decides to sell the fiscally precarious estate so he can live more comfortably in an urban setting—a decision that betrays (or ignorantly disregards) the others who live on the estate.

Given the essence of the play, I don’t think I’d want to see this play performed live.

I also recently began the audiobook A Crack in Everything: How Black Holes Came In From the Cold and Took Cosmic Centre Stage, by Marcus Chown—a former physicist turned journalist/author. As the New York Times review states, “Chown’s book is primarily a chronicle of the researchers who helped make black holes believable…” I’m about 25% through the book and am enjoying learning how black holes entered humanity’s scientific consciousness.

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March 30, 2025:  Entertainment, grow a community, woodworking, anti-fascism activism, memory issues

It’s been 10 days since my last post. In that time, I’ve gone to the movies and the theater, participated in social events, done some woodworking, made progress on our potential home renovations, and have been displaying my anti-fascism banner.

The Somerville Theater has been showing a series of concert films: The Last Waltz (The Band), Stop Making Sense (Talking Heads), Divine Madness (Bette Midler), and Amazing Grace (Aretha Franklin). Each had its own unique character, but my favorite was Stop Making Sense; David Byrne’s eccentricity, energy, and magnetic presence made it the most distinctive. If you haven’t seen it, put it on your list.

Last night we went to the American Repertory Theater‘s play Night Side Songs. The play follows several characters, portrayed by five actors, over the course of a few decades. In the course of the play, a young woman develops cancer and the play explores how she, her family, friends, and the medical profession cope with this devastating turn in her life’s story, culminating in her decision to welcome death.

The portrayal was deeply empathetic and emotionally resonant. As a former physician who has often been present in such end-of-life situations—and as a son who watched his mother die of cancer over the course of a year—I found it hauntingly accurate.

Although I wasn’t enamored with the songs, I highly recommend the play.

Afterwards, we went out to dinner with J and B. J, who has survived cancer three times and is doing very well, was a professor of theater. The play really resonated with her.

I continue working to grow a sense of community among retirees through my three monthly brunch groups and a new weekly MIT Club of Boston cycling event. The first ride was a bust—39°F and drizzling. No one showed. The second was canceled due to cold. But I haven’t given up.

Our next ride is scheduled for April 10. I created a new advertisement for the MIT Club of Boston’s newsletter and event calendar. Even if no one shows up, I’m committed to running this event for at least a few months.

I joined Pat Scanlon—a climate activist and musician—for a singalong protest on the steps of the Massachusetts State House. About 100 of us formed a chorus for his latest environmental song. While our audio will be dubbed over by a professional choir (no one wants to hear me sing!), the experience was lively, communal, and Pat really appreciated everyone showing up.

Gail and I went to dinner, mostly spontaneously, with S and D, at one of our favorite haunts, The Abbey in Cambridge. Always fun to talk with them.

Our potential home renovations are moving forward. We had been working with an architect for several months and have now shown the house and the plans to several builders. Once we receive estimates, we’ll decide whether to proceed with the construction.

Although our house is perfectly adequate for Gail and me, it’s not well-suited for hosting our kids, their spouses, and grandchildren for extended visits—especially when they’re working remotely. These renovations, if we go forward, would solve that problem.

I’ve added the final wood finish to my Tensegrity rocking side table and received the glass top. Unfortunately, the custom glass was about 1/16 inch larger in diameter than I ordered—I hadn’t accounted for cutting tolerances. Although initially somewhat distressed, I ultimately came up with a simple workaround for my oversight.

I’ve continued to display my anti-fascism political banner on bridges around Boston. Twice, employees of the Department of Transportation asked me to remove it—apparently, affixing signs to overpasses is prohibited. I find the rule questionable, given that other banners and flags often remain untouched.

To work around this, I modified my Pickleball net to serve as a free-standing display for the banner, eliminating the need to touch any public structures.

During my most recent outing, a passerby confronted me. He assumed that my American flag display signified Trump support. I explained that I am anti-fascist and pro-democracy. To me, the American flag represents the U.S. Constitution, a tripartite representational democracy, and the ideals of freedom, equality, and justice. 

I emphatically reject the notion that the American flag belongs to the MAGA movement. I will continue to display the American flag—at home and beside my banner—because it belongs to Americans who believe in democracy and the U.S. Constitution. It is past time for those of us who value these ideals to reclaim the flag as a symbol of our shared commitment to liberty and justice for all. I wrote an essay on this subject about two years ago:  “A New American Patriotism and The American Flag“.

Recently the Trump administration secretly rescinded the visa of a Tufts PhD student who had written a student newspaper editorial calling for divestment from Israel, despite her constitutional guarantee of free speech.

Two days after they supposedly revoked her visa and before she was notified of its revocation, on Tuesday at 5 PM, unidentified and masked agents in unmarked vehicles abducted her from in front of her Somerville home, and flew her to a jail in Louisiana – all caught on film. This out-of-state abduction occurred despite a judge’s order that she not be removed from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Boston Globe the story was posted on Wednesday at 5 PM.

When I came upon the article soon after it was posted, I immediately headed into Davis Square and set up my banner. Someone photographed it and posted it to Reddit, where it received 26,000 comments before the platform locked the thread. It was the third most upvoted article on Boston Reddit that day.

Unbeknownst to me, a rally was taking place just a mile away, where 2,000 people gathered in support of her.

Recently, I read two compelling essays about the threat of fascism in America and what can be done. One was an interview with Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut titled “We Are Sleepwalking Into Autocracy.” The other was a New York Times op-ed by Ben Rhodes, “Democrats Can Stop Trump and Save America.” Both are worth reading and are PDFs you can download.

Here are some pictures associated with my banner and my essay: Defend Democracy and the U.S. Constitution! Stand-up for Patriotism and the American Flag!

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that I’ve offered to participate in a memory-related clinical study at MGH. The researchers will likely contact me to determine whether I meet their inclusion criteria. There’s no direct benefit to my health, but I hope my participation will help advance the science.

I continue to experience occasional lapses in memory. For example, yesterday, during my five-mile walk, I listened to an audio article in The New York Times titled “What Happens to Your Brain When You Retire?” While walking, I emailed the article to a few Vanderbilt friends from my internship and residency. About an hour later, forgetting I had already sent it, I decided to forward it to all my retired friends—and inadvertently sent it a second time to the same Vanderbilt group.

Perhaps the event didn’t register as something worth remembering in the moment—but even so, it’s concerning. There’s no proven medical therapy to prevent cognitive decline or improve memory beyond what I’m already doing: eating well, sleeping adequately, exercising regularly, and engaging in intellectual and creative pursuits. Maybe this is just part of the normal aging process—or maybe not.

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March 20, 2025: Time to Take Action Defending Democracy…

Today was my first MIT Club of Boston cycling event, which I had o

rganized. Unfortunately the weather was not optimum, it was about 41° and had been drizzling earlier so it was not surprising that nobody showed up. Nevertheless, I was appropriately dressed, with four layers on top and b – even I wouldn’t have gone, had I not been the event organzer. By the time I had cycled 5 miles I was warm enough. I did my usual 22 mile loop  and then return to working on the banner stand.

I spent a large fraction of yesterday and today modifying my pickleball net so I could use it to securely display my anti-fascism banner. Ultimately, I ended up close to my first version. It should now be legal for me to display the banner on bridges in/around Boston. I still may need a permit in most locations.

I think someone should start selling a red hat with the slogan “Make America democratic Again.” Yes, little-“d”.

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March 18, 2025: Time to Take Action Defending Democracy…

A few days ago, I went to see the Odyssey again at the American Repertory Theater. 

I wanted to see the production a second time, now that I know the story better, and to observe whether the theatrical experience changed from performance to performance.

Seeing it again, I found the performance almost identical to the first. In both performances, the first act was a little slow, the second act was better, and the third act pulled it all together and was excellent.

As I discussed in my essay Defend Democracy and the U.S. Constitution! Stand-up for Patriotism and the American Flag! I felt it was time for me to act, as autocracy-fascism is rapidly being imposed on America. Honestly, I think it is now a foregone conclusion, and Trump will never leave the White House for reasons discussed in that essay. Nevertheless, I thought I needed to take a stand, and I came up with this idea of creating a banner and I planned to display it around Boston, hoping it would catalyze someone to begin a mass pro-democracy movement.

I first displayed the banner yesterday, zip-tied to a fence near the Boston University Bridge and the Mass Pike during the evening rush hour.

The next morning, I displayed the banner again, zip-tied to a fence on a bridge that crossed the Mass Pike. After an hour, a Boston Department of Public Works employee told me I had to take down the sign as it was not legal to attach anything to the public fence over the highway. He was very polite, offered to help me take it down, but I took it down myself. 

For most of the afternoon (aside from my two-hour cycle), I was flummoxed about what to do next, as it became clear I couldn’t simply display my banner on public property without a permit.  This was indeed unexpected and discouraging.

I understand the State has a mostly rational reason for controlling highway banners, but it still feels authoritarian—exactly what I am decrying.

I believe I can walk down a public sidewalk carrying a sign, but this sign—20 feet by 3 feet—is much too big for one person to carry.

I have now created two “free standing” apparatuses to hold the banner. 

First, I modified a portable pickleball net so it could support the sign at ground level. It’s freestanding but it will need bricks to secure the sign in windy conditions. The pickleball net only works if there are no ground-level obstructions. For example, a highway guard rail would block the banner but a wire fence wouldn’t be an issue.

I then constructed five wooden posts (which still require additional modifications) to display the banner 3 to 6 feet above the ground, but these posts need to be held or attached to something; they are not truly freestanding.

One of my neighbors suggested purchasing a billboard. I’m not sure it is an affordable or cost-effective option.

I’m going to keep talking to people and see if others have ideas. 

Maybe next time I will look for a location where I can use the modified pickleball net. 

Or maybe I’ll return to this morning’s location and attempt to wedge the five wooden posts between the wire fence and the guardrail on the bridge over the Mass Pike. The sign would not be “attached” to the fence, but since it isn’t truly freestanding, it still might not be legal. 

What’s the worst that can happen? They confiscate my sign? Arrest me? At this point, for this issue, any PR is “good” PR.

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March 13, 2025: Many good/enjoyable activities and the ultimate political downer

Since my last posting of 2/25/2025, I’ve engaged in a few events. 

Social

Gail and I had dinner with M and E at The Foundry on Elm in Davis Square. M is in my REMBrunch group, and they’re both fun to talk to. When I mentioned that Gail and I are planning a trip up to Nova Scotia for a niece’s wedding, they offered to let us stay with them at their house in Maine on our drive there or back. Their home is about midway along our route.

I continue to manage my three monthly retiree brunches, which each meet at a local café, on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. I have rescheduled all brunches so they all are on Wednesday: the first Wednesday, second Wednesday, and third Wednesday of the month. It was becoming too problematic for me to manage the groups when each met on a different day of the week and a different week of the month. I’ve also brought in two new male members, as we’ve had a dearth of men in the two MIT alumni groups. So far, nearly everyone has attended all (or almost all) of the sessions, although I lost one or two members due to moving the brunches to Wednesdays.

Theatrical

As I mentioned previously, I saw Kate Hamil’s play The Odyssey at the American Repertory Theater. This theatrical version of The Odyssey is based on Emily Wilson’s translation of The Odyssey, which I’ve talked about extensively in the past. I am definitely taken by this translation, as it is eminently accessible to today’s readers. The American Repertory Theater hosted a lecture “Myth and Modernity” in which they had four Classics professors on stage talking about the play and the poem. It definitely was interesting, and I learned that there are similar epic stories, told in disparate cultures, of men who go off to war and then return to their prior lives. I thought this was remarkable and maybe says something about Homo sapiens that transcends culture. 

After the lecture, I emailed one of the Classics professors asking for additional reading material and he was more than generous in his email reply, recommending some academic readings that are in the Harvard library system. Unfortunately, some of the references required a Harvard ID, so they were not accessible, but one of the references–a critique of Emily Wilson’s translation was in an academic journal “New England Classical Journal” that was accessible. I found this three-page essay provided insights into Emily Wilson’s translation while the author’s comments echoed my own thoughts about the Wilson translation. 

I think I may listen to Emily Wilson’s audiobook, The Odyssey, again for a third time, as I now know much more about The Odyssey and literary translations.

In two days I’m going to see Hamil’s play The Odyssey again at the American Repertory Theater–this will be one of the few times that I’ve seen a play more than once in a single production and I am very curious to see what my reaction will be on the second viewing.

A Fun Movie and a Dud Mushroom

A few days ago, Gail and I attended the movie The Last Waltz, at the Somerville Theater. This is the movie about The Band’s last concert and I have seen it many times. Seeing movies at The Somerville Theater can be a very different experience than seeing a movie in most cinemas as the Somerville Theater audience tends to be very knowledgeable and vocal about the movies. This is also true for The Brattle Street Cinema in Harvard Square. At these cinemas it is not uncommon that someone will talk about the film before the showing and movie relevant conversations among audience members are at a high level. Of course, the music is my favorite genre, and that would be true for a large fraction of the audience. Clearly, there were some neophytes at the movie who were unfamiliar with The Band; listening to the more knowledgeable attendees share their insights with the neophytes is always interesting.

I again experimented with psilocybin mushrooms, using the same batch as before, but this time taking a slightly higher dose: three stems and two caps. Although I did not experience any hallucinations, I did have mild nausea lasting for two or three hours. And I can’t say the mushrooms noticeably enhanced my enjoyment of the movie. Published literature suggests a 10-30% chance of experiencing a bad trip when psilocybin mushrooms are taken in a dose sufficient to result in a hallucinogenic experience. Given the nausea I had with such a modest dose, I’m concerned that a higher dose might result in significant nausea which would exceed any potential benefit; thus my enthusiasm to have a hallucinogenic experience has diminished. For now, I am not certain what I will do in the future.

Spring returns and so Cycling

With the warming of the weather, the swans have returned to Yates Pond, in Cambridge, located at the beginning of the Minuteman Bikeway. This couple returns every year and will soon have cygnets. Inevitably, some of the cygnets will be eaten by the turtles, which lurk under the surface. Two or three years ago, all seven cygnets serially disappeared, one each day, until there were none. I don’t recall seeing any cygnets last year.

Now that the snow has mostly melted and the Minuteman Bikeway is largely dry, I’ve resumed cycling two or three times a week. My usual ride, about 22 miles in two hours, takes me from Davis Square to the end of the bikeway and back. After these rides, I often arrive home chilled, requiring a nap, hot shower, and soup to fully recover. Cycling has become a form of meditation for me

New Social Cycling Event

With spring in the air, I decided to try to start a weekly cycling group. The “peloton” will meet on Thursdays from 10 to noon and cycle the Minuteman Bikeway. I’m advertising this on the MIT Club of Boston and will shortly see if it is of interest to anyone; hopefully some retirees will be interested. If some cyclists are interested and they have widely varying cycling abilities, then I will need to figure out how to manage the group in a way that will keep everyone happy. I expect that some will want to cycle a longer distance at a higher velocity (16 mph) while others will want a shorter distance at a more leisurely pace (12 mph). Personally, I’d prefer cycling the longer distance at more leisurely but, we’ll see how this works out.

This group cycling event is a complete change for me. I’ve always preferred to cycle alone, as it gave me the opportunity to “just think,” listen to music, and/or an audiobook. But I think a group ride once a week, with the socializing, and maybe a stop at a café, would be a good thing for me to participate in.

Woodworking

I’m nearing completion of my tensegrity side table project. The woodworking and finishing are done, and now I’m simply awaiting the arrival of the glass top. Minor adjustments may be required for the glass to fit properly, but that should be straightforward. While not as stable as I initially envisioned, the table can easily support ten pounds, though it does sway and oscillate slightly. I’m considering calling it my ‘rocking’ or ‘oscillating’ table. TBD.

With the tensegrity side table project winding down, I started a new project—another atypical frame. It’s in the very early stages and it’s not yet clear to me if this is something worth finishing. Sometimes I fully design a project before I begin building it. Other times, I begin making a project without having created or envisaged a finalized design. For this project, I have a vision only in my mind’s eye; I will need to see (with my real eyes) the interim project, which I will serially modify until I determine whether it should actually see the light of day or get consigned to the pile of scrap wood.

Reading, Actually, Audiobooks

I finished reading THE RIGOR OF ANGELS: Borges, Heisenberg, Kant, and the Ultimate Nature of Reality, by William Egginton. While I enjoyed the book and  understood most of the physics, I found it more difficult to follow the philosophy and poetry. Nevertheless, it was very interesting to me that these three disparate experts, a physicist, philosopher, and author/poet, all concluded that our understanding of reality is limited because our brains are constructed to comprehend a three-dimensional world.

Werner Heisenberg, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics, and the discoverer of quantum mechanics, said “In physics, what we observe is not nature itself but nature exposed to our method of questioning” 

In the same vein, the physicist, Richard Feynman, in his text “The Feynman Lectures on Physics, Volume III” said “The ‘paradox’ [ when experimental results do not agree with theory ] is only a conflict between reality and your feeling of what reality ‘ought to be.’“

In Summary

Most of the time, I’ve been busy but not overwhelmed. Occasionally, I find myself without anything to do or not sufficiently motivated to take action, but those instances are infrequent.

By and large, I remain happy and entertained, but to do so requires constant effort on my part. It won’t happen spontaneously.

One more thing: Fascism is [Coming to] Here in the U.S.A.

I deeply wish the political situation were different, but I can no longer ignore what appears to be inevitable and is deeply distressing: I believe that the American democracy as we have known it is finished American democracy as we have known it is finished, and fascism has come to all three branches of our government.

Take a look at this list below, generated by ChatGPT from reputable sources, showing the steps a head of state needs to employ to convert a democracy to an autocracy/fascist state. These steps are derived from real world examples that have occurred over the last century, many in the last 3 decades.

America is now well along in the conversion process.

ChatGPT: The typical chronological steps an authoritarian leader follows to convert a democracy into a fascist regime:

1. Gain Legitimate Power – DONE

• Achieve office through legitimate elections or appointments within the existing democratic framework.

2. Erode Democratic Norms – DONE

• Begin attacking democratic norms, questioning electoral integrity, and delegitimizing political opponents.

• Spread distrust in independent institutions and media.

3. Consolidate Executive Authority – DONE

• Centralize power by weakening or dismantling legislative checks and balances.

• Grant extraordinary powers to the executive branch, often under the pretense of a national emergency or crisis.

4. Neutralize Independent Judiciary – In Process

• Replace independent judges with loyalists.

• Undermine judicial independence, preventing the judiciary from effectively challenging authoritarian actions.

5. Suppress Free Media – In Process

• Restrict press freedom through censorship, intimidation, harassment, legal actions, and physical threats.

• Establish state-controlled or allied media outlets to disseminate propaganda and limit opposing viewpoints.

6. Control Civil Society – DONE

• Restrict or outlaw independent NGOs, advocacy groups, unions, and community organizations.

• Arrest, threaten, or exile influential activists and opposition figures.

7. Manipulate Elections – DONE

• Alter election rules to favor the incumbent regime.

• Suppress voter turnout among opposition groups through intimidation, voter suppression tactics, gerrymandering, or outright electoral fraud.

8. Create and Exploit Scapegoats – DONE

• Identify internal or external groups as threats, blaming them for societal problems.

• Encourage widespread fear, hatred, or suspicion of minority groups or political opponents to unite supporters.

9. Establish Security and Surveillance Apparatus – Not Yet Done

• Expand police powers, surveillance, and intelligence operations.

• Justify widespread monitoring, surveillance, detention, and repression by claiming national security threats.

10. Militarize and Cultivate Loyalty within Security Forces – In Process

• Purge security services and military of dissenting or neutral figures, appointing loyalists who will enforce authoritarian directives without question.

• Use force to suppress political dissent and intimidate potential opposition.

11. Institutionalize Propaganda and Indoctrination – In Process

• Redesign educational curricula and public messaging to glorify the regime, rewrite history, and instill nationalist ideology.

• Normalize authoritarian values and obedience through continuous state-sponsored messaging.

12. Cult of Personality – DONE

• Develop a charismatic leadership narrative, depicting the leader as the sole protector and embodiment of the nation’s identity and destiny.

• Encourage public displays of loyalty, rituals, slogans, and symbols reinforcing allegiance to the regime.

13. Enforce Full Authoritarian Control – Not Yet Done

• Eliminate remaining political opposition through imprisonment, exile, assassination, or forced disappearance.

• Permanently establish authoritarian structures, solidifying regime’s absolute authority and suppressing any remnants of democratic institutions.

I have begun listening to Anne Applebaum (2020), Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism. I am 40% into the book and it paints a depressing picture of the future of democracy in America.

As I wrote in 2019, I think it is unlikely that Trump will agree to leave the White House in 2029 (or before). Should push come to shove, I believe he will attempt to use the US military to remain in power, as he now controls the US military (without regard for the US Constitution) through his appointment of the totally unqualified Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense, and his nominee of retired Air Force Lt. Gen. John Dan “Razin” Caine (also unqualified but loyal to Trump) to be the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In addition, Trump now controls the admissions to the US military colleges–creating the next generation of senior military leadership.

Barring an unexpected political earthquake, I have regretfully come to believe that America’s 2.5-century experiment in representative democracy is over. 

Maybe it is now futile, but I am not yet ready to give up the fight for democracy. Tomorrow I should receive a 20 ft x 3 ft banner that I plan to display at locations around Boston that are highly trafficked.

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February 25, 2025: First bike ride of the season.

I have decided to adjust my three retiree’s brunch groups so they all occur on Wednesdays, the first, second, and third Wednesday of the month. I’ve been finding it very complicated to manage the groups with one meeting on the first Thursday of the month, and another on the second Tuesday of the month and the third group on the third Wednesday of the month. Having them all meet on sequential Wednesdays will make management considerably easier. I wish I had thought of this along time ago, before I created all the groups, but so be it.

I have already explained to the group why I intended to make the switch to Wednesdays and only one of 12 people will not be able to make the switch to Wednesday. I’m also going to try and recruit some additional retiree who are MIT alumni. I will be interviewing a person tomorrow to see if he would be a good fit for one of these groups.

I have been looking through online cycling trip catalogs, hoping to create a bicycle trip, inn to inn, in New York and/or New England, either to be done solo or with some of the retirees I’ve been friends with. I didn’t have much success in finding a trip that I could propose to them. Maybe I’ll book a trip with one of the established groups and see if anybody wants to join me.

In the late morning I prepped my bike for the first ride of the season: lube, air, sealant, adjustments, etc

In the afternoon, I went for my first bicycle ride of the season as the temperature was in the mid-upper 40s. I rode down the Minuteman Bikeway, my usual path, 22 miles over about two hours. The trail was line with snow but the path had been plowed and was mostly free of snow and ice. There was a lot of melted snow on the trail and two or three patches of ice, where I had to be very careful.

Rather than listen to my book, I decided I would give myself a break and listen to music. And I took a few photos of the Minuteman Bikeway to add to my Minuteman Bikeway album:

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February 24, 2025: A book I do not fully understand but am enjoying

I did not do much today except for go for a 5 mile walk and listen to the second third of THE RIGOR OF ANGELS: Borges, Heisenberg, Kant, and the Ultimate Nature of Reality. The first third of the book demonstrated the confluence of ideas from a philosopher (Emanuel Kant), a poet writer (Jorge Luis Borges), and a physicist (Werner Heisenberg) that we can never really know reality, all we can do is understand what reality has revealed to us. As Heisenberg said, “In physics, what we observe is not nature itself but nature exposed to our method of questioning.”

The great physicist, Richard Feynman , addressing the conflict that arises when our measured test results of “reality” and not in accord with our understanding of “reality” said: “The “paradox” is only a conflict between reality and your feeling of what reality “ought to be.”

The second third of the book talked about space and time. There seems to be agreement between Kant, Borges, Heisenberg, and the great Greek philosophers, that when we look “outward”, we’re actually looking inward to a single point. 

With my understanding of the world limited to a three dimensional world, this was a hard concept for me to wrap my head around until William Egginton, the author, offered up this explanation for a being living in a two dimensional world. Assume you are an ant living in a two dimensional world, on the surface of a basketball. The ant can move forward, backward, left, right, but there is no up or down. Somehow the ant has acquired a telescope that allows the ant to look as into the distance as is possible, but being in a 2-D world, the ant can only sight along the surface of the basketball. Whatever direction the ant turns the telescope (left, right, forward, backward) the most distant point the ant will see is the same point which is exactly 180° opposite the ant, on the other side of the basketball. (Paraphrased from Egginton, with apologies.)

Discovery of cosmic background radiation, which was created at the moment of the Big Bang, has shown us the same thing. Again, per Egginton, “When Bell lab researchers aimed their telescope in any direction, they got the same results, a signal originating from the cosmic background radiation which was identical in all directions. Essentially, whichever direction they aimed their telescope, they’re looking back at the same point in space and time.”

Of course Albert Einstein’s model of the universe (General Relativity) has four dimensions universe, three dimensions of space and one dimension of time – spacetime. When we look out in any direction, we’re looking back in time, and if we could look far enough, to the beginning of the universe, we are essentially looking at the same singularity, the same point from which the universe began, regardless of the direction of our gaze.

Egginton wrote “Dante was right, no matter which direction we look outward into the universe, we gaze inward to the very origin of space and time. Thus freeing our mind from our senses, we find that the universe is indeed turned inside out”

I found it somewhat exhilarating, during the walk, listening to this story. The fact that the universe may not be as we perceive is quite exciting to me-albeit I am certain my understanding from my readings are filled with holes and misunderstandings.

I think I would like to take a philosophy course that addresses the nature of reality, space and time.

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February 23, 2025: Theater fundraiser, Dinner with family

Gail and I attended a lunchtime fundraiser at a restaurant in Central Square for the Catalyst Collaborative@MIT, a collaboration between Central Square Theater and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology which produces plays about science. At the fundraiser, they had faculty from MIT and NASA talk about space. The conversation at our table focused on women in science. One of the people at our table wrote a play about “innovation” which is intended to be performed for kids in middle school by high school age actors and during the play something is created. It was an entertaining two hours.

In the evening, we had Gail’s sister and brother-in-law come over for dinner, C & G and it was fun to catch up on their retirement plans and hear about their ever increasing squad of grandchildren. Unfortunately for us, our kids and granddaughter live on the west coast.

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February 22, 2025

In the morning, I gave my Designing Your Retirement lecture at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. Fortunately, I didn’t have too many technical problems getting the computer to work with the display screen- unfortunately only four people attended the lecture. The lecture ran from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM, but attendees stayed until nearly noon, suggesting they found it engaging. Their comments were very positive; you can read their comments here.

After the lecture, I met Gail, B, and J for lunch at Toscano’s, just two doors down the street. We had a quick lunch then attended American Repertory Theater’s new production of The Odyssey. Despite its three-hour runtime and two intermissions, we thoroughly enjoyed the production, along with most of the audience. This production was based on the Emily Wilson translation of the Odyssey, which I have written about in several locations in my blog. For example, see A Solo Road Trip: 7,226 miles, in a Tesla, over 16 days, with two dogs and look at the entry of 8/21/2024 and 8/27/2024, where I have included two audio clips from the audiobook.

This version of the play focused on the impact of extreme violence—including rape, infanticide, slavery, and the horrors of war—on both victims and perpetrators. It also explored whether it is ever possible to forgive people who have committed horrific crimes, and whether the perpetrator can forgive themselves or reclaim their former lives. The play’s conclusion is that Odysseus was permanently changed by the events and could not return to life exactly as it was before the war.

There’s going to be a discussion about the play at the American Repertory Theater called Myth and Modernity which Gail and I will attend. I am looking forward to learning more about The Odyssey.

Finally, at the end of the day, we attended the opening of the Danforth Museum exhibit “Selfhood,” which included several artworks done by one of our neighbors, Kathryn Geismar, who is a font of creativity.

It was a full and fun day.

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February 21, 2025

In the morning, I reviewed my slides and notes for my upcoming lecture, Designing Your Retirement, at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. I had intended to do this earlier in the week, but was not sufficiently “panicked” to “motivate” me to commit the time reviewing my notes. Perhaps I wasn’t “panicked” because I’ve given this lecture a dozen times and now remember enough that I no longer need to spend a week reviewing my notes.

In the evening, Gail and I attended From Antartica to the Amazon, a discussion between composer Patrick Harlin and scientist Susan Solomon at MIT’s new music venue. Solomon, who discovered the ozone hole over Antarctica, played a key role in persuading the world to take action against its expansion, which threatened all life on Earth. Composer Harlin incorporates natural soundscapes into his compositions. I had hoped to attend the world premiere of his new composition, but it was scheduled for the evening of February 22, when I already had a commitment.

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February 19, 2025

Today was my monthly REMBrunch gathering, held on the third Wednesday of each month. Only J, M, and I attended, as the other four participants were traveling for work or leisure. Nevertheless, the conversation never faltered, flowing naturally from J’s current and future web projects to his upcoming music CD, and ultimately to politics. I’m reasonably certain both J and M enjoyed our REMBrunch interactions

It seems that nearly everyone I know is distraught over the state of the federal government, yet uncertain what to do. As depressing as this may sound, I believe that democracy, as America has known it for the last 2.5 centuries, is now in America’s rearview mirror.  

I attribute the global decline of democracy to the unedited, uncurated, “Wild West” nature of the Internet, which amplifies misinformation. Falsehoods—such as lies, conspiracy theories, half-truths, alternative facts, and clickbait—spread six times “farther, faster, deeper, and more broadly” than facts, science, and reality-based explanations. In the absence of an unexpected event, I believe America is headed for an authoritarian future, much as exists in China, Russia, and a half-dozen former democracies that have since embraced authoritarian rule.

While many people I know had, until recently, avoided political discussions, that sentiment appears to be shifting toward more engagement – albeit nobody knows what to do. Unfortunately, the Democratic Party has failed to proffer a philosophy and strategic plan that might lead them back to power.

Thomas Friedman of the New York Times had an interesting take on America’s short-term political future. He no longer believes that our checks and balances system of government will prevent America’s slide into authoritarianism, but he does believe that the “physics” of reality will mitigate the problem, albeit at a great cost:

“I’ve kind of given up on politics when dealing with Trump because at least until the midterms, there are no levers to pull. The Senate is all in on him. The House is all in on him. The Supreme Court is all in on him. His media ecosystem’s all in on him. I’m now entirely betting on physics, on the hard realities of things. You cannot move 2.2 million Palestinians from Gaza physically. And you are not going to get Ukraine to just surrender to Russia because you bat your eyes at them. There is the hard physics of things, and one of the physics is that our auto industry cannot survive in a world where the steel components it needs get tariffed by 25 percent and you basically crush the EV incentives. The physics of that, the math is not going to add up, and all you have to do is look at the Ford stock price to see it. They say the market is a voting machine and then it’s a weighing machine. And when you weigh the weight of these things, they don’t add up. If this weren’t my country, Pat, I’d put my feet up, grab some popcorn and watch the show. What a show! But it is my country. Trump is driving, we’re all in the back seat, and I think he’s heading into a wall… When the politicians responsible for being buffers don’t do their jobs, all I’ve got left is Newton and the third law of motion: For every action, there will be an equal and opposite reaction. That’s all I’ve got left. I’ve pretty much given up on politics, but I do believe in the laws of gravity. The apple actually did fall from the tree. It didn’t jump from the ground into the tree. And eventually, the laws of gravity will make themselves felt. Unfortunately, as I said, we are in the back seat and he’s driving.“

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February 16, 2025

Yesterday, we hosted four of our neighbors for dinner. Gail prepared a wonderful meal and an especially spectacular dessert. Despite the fact that many of our neighbors are much younger than us, we truly enjoy these intergenerational interactions. Our dinnertime conversation ranged widely, from updates on our kids to local and national politics, and to personal dilemmas. I think everyone enjoyed themselves.

We are fortunate to have a delightful community within a few of blocks of our home, and I’ve worked hard to nurture those connections. In fact, it will soon be time for me to schedule our spring neighborhood potluck dinner, which takes place every April and October. Typically, we will have 10-24 attendees. 

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February 15, 2025

I gave my Designing Your Retirement lecture to the MIT Club of Boston on February 1, and I’m scheduled to give the lecture at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education on February 22. I will have given the lecture 4 times at each venue but I am having trouble finding other venues. I’m really not certain what to do about this.

Based on the comments I received from attendees at the lecture as well as comments I have received from people who have watched the video on YouTube or Doximity, I believe that the lecture has real value to people who are considering retiring as well as to retirees. I tried to objectively measure the utility of the lecture by sending an email to people who attended the lecture 6 or more months ago and asking them to comment on their perception of the value of the lecture. Unfortunately I have received no replies. Maybe the lecture is less valuable than I believe, or maybe that’s just what should be expected from a survey.

I have noticed that I have stopped reading medical articles completely. So I will let my membership in the Massachusetts Medical Society lapse, even though the cost of membership is trivial. My “physician” identity is receding into the background.

Episodically, I find that I struggle with “what to do” with my time in my retirement. Some of this is a result of “inertia” (the lack of momentum). There are times when I am doing nothing, and I have a hard time getting myself motivated to do something, anything. One of the tricks I employ is to tell myself: “OK, don’t do the big woodworking project in the basement right now, just go clean up the basement” and frequently that results in me ultimately doing a big project. Or I say, “just go for a short walk” and sometimes that will evolve into a long walk. 

I don’t like the way I feel when I am sitting around doing nothing. Maybe I need more diverse activities in addition to: exercise, woodworking, blogging/writing. Or maybe I just need to wait for the winter to pass and the spring to come to Boston.

Unrelated to all of the above, this thought has circled in my brain for a while andI thought I should write it down. When my mother died in 2021, I was fortunate in that I had the opportunity to have a final conversation with her. It was not until several months later that I realized there was more I should have said to her.

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February 14, 2025

I spent all day creating a jig that will enable me to cut circles on my bandsaw. I need this for my current project, the tensegrity side table and for a future project that I call “Frame waiting for an acceptable painting/photograph.”

The most recent prototype for the tensegrity is stable and it is now time to cut the walnut!

I finished reading Octavia Butler’s The Xenogenesis Trilogy. While I did listen to the entire audiobook, and it had a creative and interesting idea at its core, I’m not sure I’d recommend it to others.

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February 13, 2025

Today was the inaugural meeting of my new “ReeBrunch, Too” group, also MIT alumni. Besides Gail and me, three women attended and all seem committed. 

I spent a lot of time in the afternoon generating an advertisement for the MIT COB newsletter to recruit more members. We need a total of 6 to 9 members to make this a viable group. It is my plan to ultimately step-aside from this group and let Gail manage it. TBD.

In the evening, Gail and I attended a talk sponsored by the Cambridge Art Association. They brought in a person who makes frames to address the topic “Does this frame make my art look big.” While there was no formal lecture, the speaker answered questions about the frames that were used for photographs and painting in the CAA gallery. He was very hesitant to criticize any frame, and mostly offered suggestions for improvements or agreed that the selected frame was optimum. 

Most of the attendees were artists, and the conversation focused on the subject “how do I choose a frame to make it more likely that my painting will sell?” 

At the very end of the session, I mentioned my essay “Does the Picture Frame Matter?” and asked the question “Does a frame have a function beyond simply enhancing the contained artwork?” I’m glad I had a chance to present this point of view to a group of artist and frame maker-some seemed interested.

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February 11, 2025

Today we had our sixth monthly ReeBrunch session (MIT alumni retirees brunch.) Attendance was good at six members and the conversation never flagged. Most important to me is that the group now has a second male member: 2 men and 7 women. The group does not need any additional members.

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February 10, 2025

I wanted to give Gail something on Valentine’s Day and decided to create a movie that review our nearly 40 years together. Much to my surprise this endeavor literally took all day even though the movie was only three minutes and the soundtrack only consisted of segments of five songs.

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February 9, 2025 

Gail’s Superbowl dinner party was a “blowout.” She invited five people to join us for dinner and to watch the game afterward. Four hours before the game, one couple called and said they were too sick to attend, two hours before the game, another couple reported they too were ill and 60 minutes before the game, the fifth person said they were too busy with work but they might be able to show up late, which they did. 

My wife loved the game because she wanted to see Kansas City lose. From my perspective, the game was also a blowout—it wasn’t close and, therefore, wasn’t fun to watch. I quit before the half-time show.

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February 7, 2025

As I’ve mentioned previously, I am the only male attendee among eight at my monthly ReeBrunch group. Two men applied to join the group and I interviewed one of them today; the other will be interviewed in a few days and the next ReeBrunch meeting is in four days.

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February 6, 2025

Gail and I went to the house of one of my REMBrunch members, T & J for lunch, where we met another couple, C & J, who I had met 2 years ago when I was attending the Somerville Council On Aging weekly walks. Again, it was nice to socialize with REMBrunch members outside our monthly meetings.

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February 5, 2025

Gail and I attended “S P A C E” at Central Square Theater. Before the play, we went out to dinner with one of the attendees of my ReeBrunch group, and it was nice to socialize with S outside of our monthly ReeBrunch sessions. Unfortunately, the play was not great, despite the fact that it highlighted gender discrimination in the space program.

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February 4, 2025

I lost my sense of smell (anosmia) in March 2021 as a result of Covid. At the time, I saw an otolaryngologist and testing revealed that I had essentially complete anosmia. Other than sensory re-training (it didn’t work for me), there were no treatment options. As it has been four years, with no recovery, I wanted to talk to an otolaryngologist to see if there were any ongoing research projects which I might want to join. Unfortunately, the situation remains unchanged since 2021—there are no good treatment options, and there aren’t any clinical trials in Boston at this time. Maybe I should talk to a neurologist? Or maybe I should accept the situation as it is?

Of course there are much worse “long Covid” symptoms than anosmia, and I’m grateful they didn’t happen to me. The loss of sense of smell has profoundly impacted my sense of taste, so when people asked me “What do you think of this wine/ice cream/food?” I have to explain that my sense of taste is markedly diminished, and my opinion is irrelevant, except to that small fraction of the population who also have complete anosmia. Adding spices and salt to food helps improve palatability, but salt is bad.

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February 5, 2025: Starting another retiree’s brunch group

I have decided to help startup a third retirees’ brunch group, in addition to my REMBrunch group and my ReeBrunch group. 

In response to an event notice on the MIT Club of Boston calendar in which I stated that there is an opening in my ReeBrunch group (MIT alumni retirREE’s Brunch), I’ve received several emails from MIT alumni who want to join. I’m only adding one male member to the ReeBrunch group, in order to improve the gender balance, which currently stands at seven women and one man.

As I now have emails from several MIT alumni who want to join the ReeBrunch group, I thought I would interview a few of these men, adding one to my ReeBrunch group, maybe one to my REMBrunch group and the others to create ReeBrunch, Too–a new group. I will help get the ReeBrunch, Too group off the ground by attending the first few monthly sessions, but Gail will manage this group, as she has been looking for more social contacts since her 15-year-old book club was shuttered. Once it is stable, I may withdraw from ReeBrunch, Too.

Back when I started my first retirees’ brunch (REMBrunch), I had envisaged that if REMBrunch was a success, I would try to create other retirees’ brunches in the Boston metropolitan area.

In an attempt to encourage and help others to create local retirees’ brunch groups, I wrote down and posted everything I learned during my nearly 2 years of managing retirees’ brunch groups: How to Create and Manage a Monthly Retirees’ Brunch. I will update that posting if further insights become apparent to me.

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February 2, 2025: 

For the last month, I have continued to work on my Tensegrity coffee table, attempting to optimize both form and function. The latter is turning out to be more problematic. In the 4th prototype, created today, I think I have hit upon a design that is esthetically pleasing and sufficiently structurally sound. I hope to begin making the 5th prototype tomorrow and if that works out as I hope, then I can begin cutting the walnut – if I have enough walnut. If I do not have enough walnut, I will need to alter the design slightly to accommodate what I have. Once I have finalized the design, building the table will not take much time.

I have been actively posting comments about my Designing Your Retirement and IHaveAnIdea.us essays on social media, and when I do, I can clearly see an increase in my web traffic. Two or 3 years ago, I would get 2 to 5 visitors a day. Now the baseline is 10 or 20 visitors a day, with spikes.

Visitors per month to IHaveAnIdea.us 

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February 1, 2025: MIT Club of Boston Designing Your Retirement lecture

I spent the prior 4 days preparing for today’s Designing Your Retirement lecture. This will be the 4th time I am giving the talk to the MIT Club of Boston. As in the past, the talk was very well received and I posted attendees’ comments and a video of the talk here:

Designing Your Retirement

I still need to omit some slides in the first hour of the talk so I can devote more time to the slide during the last 30-45 minutes of the talk. 

The audience clearly wants more information about my personal retirement journey and less about the science behind my Designing Your Retirement syllabus. The challenge is that I believe they simply want to be given a list of “things to do in retirement” when in fact they need to understand the “big picture” and really understand how and why I created “The Strategic Retirement Plan.” Once they commit to The Strategic Retirement Plan, they will be able to figure out their path in retirement.

The challenge now is finding a way to bridge that gap—helping them see that the real key to retirement isn’t a checklist, but a mindset shift. I’m not sure how to resolve this quandary.

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January 31, 2025: Smart home to cave in a flash

Sue and Doug moved into their redesigned house, this move-in was long in coming. Not surprisingly, there’s still a punch-list and I expect it will take 1-2 months before everything is done and debugged. 

The attic and basement were full of  electrical and plumbing equipment – more than I would have expected. As Doug is an IT geek, everything is wireless. Should there be a massive electromagnetic pulse (EMP) their entire “smart” home will instantly transform into a very expensive cave.

Of course, part of my home too is at risk.

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January 30, 2025: A Fun Day – NOT!

It was a fun day, I had my decennial  screening colonoscopy! Whoopie! I should receive the colon polyp biopsy report sometime next week. By the time I need my next colonoscopy, 7-10 years, I may be too old or too ill or too frail to have it done.

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January 22, 2025: Visit with our granddaughter and a wedding party

Gail and I flew to San Francisco, then took an Uber to Napa – a miserable 12 hour trip. Unexpectedly left was going to charge $258 for the trip while Uber charge $120 for the trip. I’ve never seen the difference like that between these two competitors.

We spent two days in Napa, California taking care of our granddaughter and that was a lot of fun. 

We took her for a walk in her carriage, and she was mesmerized by a horse and a goat up close—as was Gail. Later, we strapped her into a backpack and hiked up the hillside

And Gail got a lot of good one on one “grandma time” with her granddaughter.

Here is a voice recording of our granddaughter babbling in the backseat of a car. I love these baby noises. There’s probably no sound that is more beautiful and appealing – sound of pure innocence.

21 seconds of a babbling infant

We also visit Gaby’s parents and had a lovely lunch at their golf club – which is buried in the hills of Orinda, CA, quite spectacular, and it is literally within walking distance of their home.

Gail and I then went to Redwood City, CA for Cory and Ricki’s wedding party. They have an interesting group of friends, and I spent a fair amount of time talking about retirement (it was a near-retirement crowd.) It was fun and I am glad I went.

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January 15, 2025: REMBrunch group, again

My monthly REMBrunch group has been meeting since March 2023 – now approaching the two year mark. At this meeting, and our previous meeting, there clearly was a sense of enthusiasm among the attendees. I believe the group is starting to gel!

I believe my REMBrunch group needs at least one more male member as some members leave the area for 3-4 months at a time (house in Maine or NH or Turkey, visit grandkids who live elsewhere.)

It’s very hard to figure out how many members I should keep in the REMBrunch and ReeBrunch groups. I need a sufficient number of members to assure we have a quorum for every meeting, (3 and 4 attendees respectively) but not too many attendees as that would make it difficult to carry-on a single conversation around a table in a noisy Davis Square Café. 

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January 14, 2025: ReeBrunch group, again.

This was the 5th ReeBrunch – my monthly brunch of MIT Alumni retirees. Besides myself, there were six female attendees. At no point did the conversation flag. I’m getting the sense that this group of people is fully committed to the ReeBrunch (high attendance rate among certain members) and, hopefully in time, we will come to know each other in a meaningful way. Gail could not attend this meeting as she was in Miami, but will be at our future meetings. 

Subsequent to this ReeBrunch, I invited the group to join Gail and I to see the science play S P A C E at Central Square Theater and one of the ReeBrunch attendees agreed to join us for dinner and theater. Fantastic!

I still need at least one more male member to make this ReeBrunch group more “balanced.”

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January 11-15, 2025: Gail follows the surf and sun

Gail decided she has had enough of the gray skies and cold weather of Boston and needed some sun and warmth. So she went to Miami, where she sat on the beach, read a book, walked along the water’s edge, and soaked up the sun.

She came back much refreshed.

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January 10, 2025: 

Gail’s boss had arranged a social dinner at a bar on the North Shore with some business associates, and I was invited. In fact, I was the only spouse in attendance. The bar was  just north of Boston, located on the coast, overlooking the ocean. It was a beautiful venue and the conversation was interesting, and far outside the borders of my usual conversations which typically involve either technology, medicine, politics or, retirement issues. It was a fun evening for both Gail and I.

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January 4, 2025: An American Repertory Theater miss

Gail and I and two friends attended the American Repertory Theater production of “Diary of Tap Dancer.” Clearly many members of the audience liked the production, but I was not one of them. In my opinion, the production lacked the requisite emotional engagement, which I believe is essential for any truly successful theatrical production and was a “preachy” and self-serving event.

For the last decade or so, the American Repertory Theater has prioritized telling the stories of historically marginalized groups in an attempt to rectify long-standing societal injustices. While this is a laudable goal, in and of itself, it is not justification for a theatrical production at the American Repertory Theater. In my opinion, the first priority of the American Repertory Theater should always be to push the boundaries of theatrical productions while emotionally engaging the audience, and, in the process, teach them something or they did not know.

I felt that this play was simply a self-promoting production (by the playwright and lead character) which brought to light the many minority tap-dancers who have been forgotten by history.  While the play shed light on forgotten minority tap dancers, it relied too heavily on listing names rather than weaving their stories into a compelling narrative. Without deeper emotional engagement, it felt more like a lecture than a theatrical experience.

Some audience members clearly found the production emotionally engaging, but I suspect that was largely due to their deep connection to the dance or Puerto Rican arts community. While that’s understandable, it feels like too narrow a justification for inclusion in ART’s subscription season.

Had I been seated on the aisle, I would have left during the second act—it was, frankly, boring and unengaging

As usual, I received an email from the American Repertory Theater, asking my opinion at the play. I wrote to them:

Yesterday‘s play at the American Repertory Theater was nothing more than a narcissistic, self-aggrandizing production that was neither intellectually engaging,  emotionally engaging, nor entertaining. And it added nothing to my understanding of the world. I hope you will do better next time.

In fairness to you, the reader, I believe you are entitled to see the opinion of professional theater critic, so here is a segment from the Boston Globe’s theater critic’s review of Diary of a Tap Dancer:

“Casel (the lead character, tap dancer, choreographer and playwright) tries to squeeze in so much that despite the sincerity, it feels overreaching, unfocused. In spots, it devolves into lecturing, ranging from fascinating scholarly information to scorching righteous outrage weighted by overstatement, derailing the production’s momentum. But in addition to being thought-provoking, “Diary of a Tap Dancer” is, in fact, disarmingly entertaining, … It is a polished yet natural performance. Casel meets us with an open heart, a raw, deeply personal emotional directness that goes well beyond anything she learned from her early training as an actor at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she took her first tap class.”

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January 3, 2025: Genesis – a book review

I should have written this a few day ago…

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January 2, 2025:

I finished the book Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. It was the story of three college students from MIT and Harvard, who loved playing and creating computer games. The story followed them as they grew up, creating a company, and how their relationship evolved over the years. It kept me entertained. If you’re looking for light reading, this would be a reasonable read. It also prompted me to purchase a game controller (to be used with the Apple TV) and the game Go.

My 70th birthday was on December 23^rd. As we had celebrated it with a trip to London in October and a family dinner in November, I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary, I cycled and worked on my blog, ultimately posting Favorite Photos of 2024. It was an enjoyable and quiet day.

Christmas was celebrated at one of our niece homes in Milton, MA. It was a relatively small gathering, maybe 20 or 25 people. The big family gathering is July 4 and Thanksgiving, when everyone returns from the corners of the globe and the crowd swells to 40+. 

On the evening of December 26, my brother told me he and Ricki were getting married on December 29. I flew out to SF, California on 12/28 to attend the wedding and wedding dinner and flew back on the red-eye on 12/29. Even though they have been involved for > a decade and living together for 5 years, in a sense this was a shotgun wedding. But not because Ricki was pregnant; the precipitating event was the impending Trump presidency and Cory’s concern he might change Social Security. So Cory wanted them to be married no later than 12/31. I had fun hanging out with Cory and Rick and enjoyed meeting Cory and Ricki’s friends at the wedding, they are definitely an interesting group of people.

While I was out there, I had come across two books that I thought would be interesting to read, 101 Essays That Will Change the Way You think, and Successful Aging; but they’re not next up. Today I started the audiobook “The Light Eaters” by Zoe Schlanger.  At this point I’m only 18% into this nonfiction book so it’s much too early to proffer an opinion about the book.

Gail and I went to see the new Bob Dylan movie, A Complete Unknown. This is the music we grew up with, and we absolutely love it. The actors sound just like the real singers. The most exciting part for me was when Al Kooper played the opening note on the Hammond organ of Like a Rolling Stone as my REMBrunch associate, Jon, is a long-time friend of Al Kooper, and Jon told me about this Dylan event 2-3 weeks before the movie release.

I have a problem with historical movies. The screenwriter(s) will take liberties with the facts to make the movie more interesting. Unfortunately, the viewer, me, won’t know when the facts have been altered and the movie will become my new historical “reality,” even though it’s not accurate.

Last night for New Year’s, our neighbor invited us over for dinner. There were three other couples and the conversation was interesting. At one point I talked about how I thought unbridled capitalism is a threat to America. I was asked for examples and I think I flubbed the answer. So now I am working on an essay which I have tentatively entitled “Unbridled Capitalism is Killing Americans and is a Threat to Our Democracy.” It probably will require another several days worth of work.

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Last entry of 2024

December 22, 2024: Reflections One Day before my 70th Birthday 

Tomorrow I will be 70 years old, which is a landmark age.

I am not surprised that I “don’t feel 70.” For the last two decades I have always “felt” 2 decades younger than my actual age.

Of late, I have noticed that my cognitive function and memory are not as good as they used to be and it takes me longer to arise from sitting on the floor. I’m not saying that either of these changes are out of the norm, but they are a little bit disconcerting, especially the former.

I am not one who celebrates birthdays as signficant real landmarks. For me, age is a continuum and I do not perceive “getting old” as a negative. I know Americans prize and glorify “youth”, but I’m not one of them. Maybe this is because my role models for the elderly were my grandmother and mother, who were such positive role models. Or maybe it’s because I’m a physician and I’ve seen how life unfolds and I accept aging as simply a normal part of life.

When I turned 40 I sent an essay to my friends and family and said something like “I’m turning 40. If I die tomorrow, don’t be sad. I’ve had a great life.” I immediately received a phone call from my mother, asking me if I was going to do something “drastic”.

If I were to die tomorrow, on my 70th birthday, nobody should mourn for me–I’ve had a great and privileged life, and would only change a few things (don’t ask as I will not answer.) I am totally aware that it has been a privileged life because of who my parents were. Nevertheless, I regret that privilege in America is heritable.

I believe I have helped to make the world a little bit better than it was before I arrived–in my career as a physician, and maybe, to a lesser extent, in my work in the health information technology realm, with some of my “creations,” and now with my Designing Your Retirement syllabus.

But the most important way I made the world better is that Gail and I raised two kids who can stand on their own two feet, have good moral values, and are making their way in the world.

So I will continue on my journey into retirement, keeping myself entertained by blogging, creating, audiobooks, cycling. I will also continue to try and make the world a little bit better by repeatedly volunteering to lecture about my Designing Your Retirement syllabus. And by trying to bring people together.

Of course, there will come a time when health issues will alter my trajectory. For me, it will likely come in the form of a deterioration in my aortic valve, and that will require surgical intervention. As it will not be without significant risks to my cognitive health and physical health, depending upon the age and extant circumstances, maybe I’ll do the surgery, or maybe I won’t. Time will tell.

But it has been a wonderful long strange trip.

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Go to…

My Retirement Diary 2026 Jul-Dec, 2026 Jan-Jun, 2025, 2024, 2023

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