furthernewsfromtheshire

Reflections on Medical Ethics and Health Policy, or “Man, My Head Really Hurts!”

I was overdue for my dermatology appointment, so I set one up and went on in. By way of background, before I went bald and most of my hair turned white, I was a real redhead. You know the type. Green eyes, really pale skin, the kind that turns lobster red after a minute orContinueContinue reading “Reflections on Medical Ethics and Health Policy, or “Man, My Head Really Hurts!””

A Gorilla Walks into a Bar: A Meditation on Humor

A Gorilla Walks into a Bar Back around 1982, Kay and I had gotten together as a couple and were living in a studio in Westbeth, the furthest extreme of the West Village. I was still in grad school and needed a side gig to bring in some money. I had worked as a cookContinueContinue reading “A Gorilla Walks into a Bar: A Meditation on Humor”

Things That Annoy Me

I’ll admit it, I am an irritable man. Always have been; little things annoy me. I can be quite patient in certain contexts, with children, people with disabilities, that kind of thing. But at other times, I feel like I am going to jump out of my skin. Maybe I inherited it from my parents,ContinueContinue reading “Things That Annoy Me”

There And Back Again

Its about 11:40 AM on Friday the 18th of September, and Kay and I are in the air on our way to NY JFK and thence to Boston. That’s 18 days of travel; I’m not sure we have ever taken this much time off since we’ve been married. Now it’s time for a little reflection;ContinueContinue reading “There And Back Again”

So Long, Colmar; Strasbourg, Here We Come

Today is our last in Colmar; Kay and I catch a taxi from the hotel to the Gare and take a 15-20 minute ride to Strasbourg. Kay has assured me that she would be standing over her suitcases the whole 30-minute ride. And that is exactly what she did, like a lioness defending her cubsContinueContinue reading “So Long, Colmar; Strasbourg, Here We Come”

Tough Times in Alsace-Lorraine

Despite what you may have been told, international travel isn’t all beer and skittles. Kay and I got up early in Salzburg and caught a cab to the train station. There we caught the train to Stuttgart, where we had to transfer to the Strasburg-Paris train. That’s where it got dicey; we had about 15ContinueContinue reading “Tough Times in Alsace-Lorraine”

Salzburg

From Munich, Kay and I caught the train for Salzburg. If this isn’t the most beautiful city I’ve ever seen, it’s in the top 3, and at the moment I can’t recall the other 2. It has the same fairytale quality of some of the German burgs, but it is nestled in the Alps andContinueContinue reading “Salzburg”

Munich

Kay and I are having breakfast in a cafe/meat store called Vinzenzmurr in Munich not far from our hotel. One of the things that immediately caught my attention the first time I was in Germany in Cologne 2 years ago was the quality of the little breakfast/lunch spots everywhere. The places are nothing special inContinueContinue reading “Munich”

Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Beyond

It’s about 7:30, Munich time. Kay and I are staying in Munich for 4 nights. We are in a hotel that has rooms about the size of what you’d typically find in Japan; you can’t even sit on the beds with a suitcase open. The problem is that as I’ve gotten older, I’ve become anContinueContinue reading “Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Beyond”

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

It’s Saturday here in Rothenberg ob der Tauber. Kay and I are leaving today. How we are going to get a cab out of here is anyone’s guess; the well-preserved medieval streets are tough for cars to get through at the best of times, and now they are filled with pavilions, peasants, knights, and jesters.ContinueContinue reading “Rothenburg ob der Tauber”