Author Archives: Jim

Thank you for your service

Posted on May 27, 2012 by Jim

Being a veteran is trendy in New Mexico. When I wear my U.S. Navy Retired ballcap, people walk up to me on the street and thank me for my service. That surprises me every time because veterans of my generation … Continue reading →

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Getting in touch with my inner sailor

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Jim

Nearly all my 25-year career in the Navy, mostly in the reserves, was spent behind a desk. But just as every member of the Army and Marines is a rifleman at heart, every Navyman is a sailor. So it was … Continue reading →

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Whatever happened to journalism?

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Jim

It would be tempting to mourn the passing of the golden age of journalism. In the 1960s the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University initiated me into a quasi-priesthood of accuracy, fairness and balance. It was a reporters’ boot camp … Continue reading →

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A walk on the handicapped side

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Jim

The Boomer generation is destined to be the handicapped parking generation. I got my handicapped parking pass sooner than expected. Happily, it’s temporary. The blue placard with the wheelchair logo is the result of my first snowshoe hike in the … Continue reading →

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My favorite spectator sport

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Jim

If politicians did not exist I probably would be a big fan of professional wrestling. But politicians are so much more colorful and comic. It’s probably my upbringing. I grew up in Chicago, was an avid reader of Mike Royko’s … Continue reading →

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So now I’m an author

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Jim

I’ve been writing for money since I was 19 but had not planned on writing a book. Writing is my favorite activity and I have been incredibly privileged to make it my career. But I never aspired to write the … Continue reading →

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Solar power

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Jim

I think solar power is a great idea. Free electricity: how cool is that? I’d love to use it at home because my house is an ideal solar site:, with a big flat roof under a New Mexico sun that … Continue reading →

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Snow? No, thanks

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Jim

I don’t like snow. Really, I don’t. That realization came to me on a snowshoe hike in the mountains in the light of the full moon. I thought: “This would be more fun without all this effing snow.” (And that … Continue reading →

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Anyone for a Mediterranean cruise?

Posted on January 21, 2012 by Jim

I’ve been watching the unfolding story of the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster and the growing list of ways in which the captain and others screwed up. I have a little experience in things nautical even though I spent more … Continue reading →

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Economic demagoguery

Posted on January 15, 2012 by Jim

Politics is my favorite spectator sport. It’s often amusing, a little like watching monkeys at the zoo. But when politicians tinker with the economy they’re downright scary. The continuing recession (or recovery, depending on which party is talking) means that … Continue reading →

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