Page 1 of Donovan Baldwin's writing

1. Parkinson's Law and the Computer Paradox In 1955, Cyril Northcote Parkinson, a British naval historian and author of some sixty books, began a humorous essay with the following sentence: "Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion." Over the years, I have come... (posted by Donovan 1 year 85 days ago.)

2. That's A Funny Name for a Song The year was 1970 and I was sitting in a bar in Warrington, Florida having a beer. I had just gotten out of the army (for the first time) and was figuring out what to do with my life. It was your basic little neighborhood bar in a Navy town. The... (posted by Donovan 1 year 164 days ago.)

3. A Christmas Memory - Some Simple Metal Stars My wife, my sister, and I are helping my 93-year-old mother move from her house into a retirement community. Okay, they're doing most of the work, and I do the "strong back weak mind" thing. Anyway, a lot of memories are being uncovered, and... (posted by Donovan 1 year 182 days ago.)

4. The Night I Chained Up on Donner Pass Several years ago, my wife and I became team over-the-road drivers for Schneider National Carriers. We were excited about our new career, full of adventure, and, by nature, people who perform our assigned tasks to the best of our abilities. ... (posted by Donovan 1 year 185 days ago.)

5. I Just Hauled A Load of What Across Country? A few years ago, I was a truck driver. After a while, I became an instructor and taught others how to do that. Most people had no idea of what to expect and part of my task was to prepare them for the actualities of life as a truck driver. One... (posted by Donovan 1 year 191 days ago.)

6. Going Through Hell to Get What We Don't Want... Have you ever gone all out to get something and then found out you didn't really want it, or it wasn't as good as you thought it was going to be? The answer is probably, "Yes". For a simple illustration of this point, we can just go... (posted by Donovan 1 year 192 days ago.)

7. Thoughts on Silence and Noise Here I go, thinking again...and worse, writing it down! The other day, indulging one of my favorite pastimes, I was browsing one of the bargain tables at Borders. I stumbled across a small book, "Silence and Noise...Growing Up Zen in America"... (posted by Donovan 1 year 194 days ago.)

8. I'm Thinking Through the Board That's the old martial arts mantra. When people who practice karate, kung-fu, and other martial arts demonstrate their prowess by breaking boards with their hands, feet, and other body parts, this mental focusing technique is one of the tools... (posted by Donovan 1 year 195 days ago.)

9. Up...Among the Stars! Antoine Comte de Guiche: As for you sir, have you read Don Quixote? Cyrano de Bergerac: I have, and found myself the hero. Antoine Comte de Guiche: Be so good as to read once more the chapter of the windmills... Windmills, remember, if... (posted by Donovan 1 year 197 days ago.)

10. The Days of Watching the Radio I was talking to a young friend of mine the other day. We had been talking about things from the past, and I'm afraid I began to do the "old guy" thing and tell him about a string of things from way before his time. I talked about the days... (posted by Donovan 1 year 199 days ago.)

11. Thoughts About Belief and Fact I don't have any great philosophies to share with humanity. Any "wisdom" I may have to share is divided into two types: 1. Facts 2. Beliefs If we are talking about facts, there doesn't seem that there's a lot to discuss. However, I... (posted by Donovan 1 year 205 days ago.)

12. Are Bodyweight Exercises Okay for Seniors? First of all, for those who might not be sure of what a "bodyweight exercise" is, let's just take a moment to clarify. A bodyweight type of exercise is one in which you use the weight of your body to provide resistance. Common examples are... (posted by Donovan 1 year 207 days ago.)

13. Thoughts on The Intrinsic Value of Precious Things I heard a discussion the other day about the value of gold, and it worked its way around to the intrinsic value of things in general. As usual, my mind took some of the info, played with it a while, and the following thoughts emerged. Food has... (posted by Donovan 1 year 208 days ago.)

14. What are Your True Limits? There's an old joke about a researcher who taught a frog to jump on command. He then measured how far the frog could jump and then began cutting off the frog's legs one by one. With each leg lost, the frog jumped a shorter distance. Finally, when... (posted by Donovan 1 year 210 days ago.)

15. Three Guys Around a Campfire Accountants and economists sometimes look askance at each other. Accountants (my degree is in accounting), sometimes tend to feel that they are in touch with the actual flow and activities of money, while economists are mere theoreticians.... (posted by Donovan 1 year 212 days ago.)

16. 4 Lessons From Army Mess Halls One of the more permanent memories of basic training in D-3-1, "Best Damn Company on the Hill, Sir!" at Fort Jackson, South Carolina was the mess hall. It was a small building through which poured several hundred bodies, thrice daily. ... (posted by Donovan 1 year 217 days ago.)

17. Life and the Zen of Truck Driving A few years ago, I had a job that was probably one of the most enjoyable I have ever had. I got to teach people how to drive a truck as an in-truck and classroom instructor for Schneider National Carriers in Dallas, Texas. Yeah, the big ones.... (posted by Donovan 1 year 218 days ago.)

18. Is It Just Me, or Are We Both Nuts? So, it was another Sunday, and, as usual, I am driving my mother to Mass. A lovely Fall day in Stone Mountain, driving through a pretty residential area. Lots of trees, lots of leaves, and lots of squirrels. A few yards ahead of the car, a... (posted by Donovan 1 year 219 days ago.)

19. My Respects to Luis Urzua - One Platoon Sergeant to Another If you don't recognize the name, Luis Urzua, don't feel bad. After all, there were an awful lot of people trapped in that mine in Chile, and many people were more interested in the guy with the wife and mistress. However, those miners survived... (posted by Donovan 1 year 223 days ago.)

20. Too Old to Dream New Dreams? I work puzzles. I buy puzzle books, most commonly the Dell Crossword Special, and work my way through them. I work crosswords, Sudoku, logic puzzles, anacrostics, and, when I'm almost through with the book and keep forgetting to buy a new one, I... (posted by Donovan 1 year 224 days ago.)

21. So! Who's Responsible for this Mess? A few years ago, I was driving a big truck eastbound on I-40. I had just passed through Gallup, New Mexico, and had my cruise control set on the speed limit. Not too surprisingly, another truck blew by me at a very high rate of speed. As he... (posted by Donovan 1 year 225 days ago.)

22. Wanting What You Get and Getting What You Want My mother, going to be 93 in two months, was telling me about her childhood. From time to time, in those pre-cold cut days of the 1920's, her mother would not have the fixin's for sandwiches for the kids to take to school. On those occasions, her... (posted by Donovan 1 year 227 days ago.)

23. Listen to Your Enemy I don't pay a lot of attention to politics. Not because it's not important. It is. However, I try to grab enough news to keep me abreast of what's going on and enough information for me to at least form my own opinion. This includes listening... (posted by Donovan 1 year 229 days ago.)

24. I Don't Want It Because I Can't Have It We want so many things. Sometimes it's something of great value and worth which reflects well on us. Peace on earth, good will towards man comes to mind. Sometimes, maybe it's not so high an ideal; a new car or better job...or just win the... (posted by Donovan 1 year 230 days ago.)

25. Is the Pineal Gland the Third Eye or the Anja Chakra? I could have titled this little article, "Play Mystical for Me". Sorry. I just couldn't resist it. Anyway, about mystical concepts: I like them. I don't always believe them, but I like them. I like to believe that most mystical concepts and... (posted by Donovan 1 year 234 days ago.)