DavidAltshuler,M.S. One of my running buddies, Ron, is snarky, curmudgeonly, sarcastic, and grumpy. On a good day. Ron has a bitter view of the world and agrees with Snoopy, Charles Schultz’s philosopher beagle, who said, “I love humanity; it’s the people I can’t stand.” Ron looks for the darker motivations of a person’s actions and can…Read the full article
The other evening, my older son sliced open the side of his finger. We took a pleasant drive over to the Emergency Room at ten o’clock and by five the next morning, he was sewn up as good as new. The doctor was thoughtful and competent–it turned out our kids had gone to school together–and,…Read the full article
Javier’s and Alejandro’s parents could have been in the same Lamaze class. Born days apart but in the same hospital in 1987, the lives of the children had followed almost identical courses: learning differences and attentional issues that turned into trouble in school, evaluations that turned up no psychopathology, just the high verbal IQ and…Read the full article
Saw an old acquaintance this morning. My buddies and I were doing our usual 6:00 am run down to Matheson Hammock, chatting about nothing, telling the same jokes we’ve been regaling one another with for the past several decades. After running around the lagoon–the “pee pool” for those of us who grew up in Miami–we…Read the full article
Until recently–on an evolutionary time scale–pretty much everyone was starving. Always. Until the last century, there was no refrigeration. There was no transportation either. You want an orange in the winter? Bit of a problem, that. No idea can travel faster than the fastest horse. No produce moves very far either. If you can’t walk…Read the full article
The choice argument Tell me if any of the following sound even remotely plausible: 1) I woke up this morning and said to myself: Here’s an idea. I’ll choose to lose my keys. That way instead of getting to class on time, taking relaxed notes, meeting with my “study buddy” to prepare for that tough…Read the full article
I have an unexplainable situation here. I was hoping you could help me try to make some sense out of this. My 28 year-old, recently married, secretary wrote me the following note: “Dear Mr. Altshuler,” it reads. “My head hurts and I have been throwing up. I am going to the doctor. What do you…Read the full article
FALSTAFF I have peppered two of them; two I am sure I have paid, two rogues in buckram suits. I tell thee what, Hal, if I tell thee a lie, spit in my face, Four rogues in buckram let drive at me– PRINCE HENRY What, four? thou saidst but two even now. FALSTAFF Four, Hal;…Read the full article
If you are a Lucky Charms aficionado, what would it take to convince you to switch to Captain Crunch? Not just tomorrow morning but every day this week? Think you can get by without your favorite sugary cereal? Think you could live with Captain Crunch after years of Lucky Charms? Then how ’bout tomorrow morning…Read the full article
I could not be more proud of my student, Robbie. From 15 years of age until his 20th birthday, Robbie smoked pot daily, stole from his parents, and lied every time he opened his mouth. In college, his major was being a general pain in the ass. He refused to go to school. When he…Read the full article