Archive for December, 2025
New Year’s Resolution
From the wonderful Bryan A. Garner:
The Spectator recently ran a sharp piece titled “The Post-Literate Society.” Its thesis? We’re turning away from books. Attention spans are shrinking. Thought itself is drifting back toward the oral, not the written. Katherine Dee, the author, even writes of “the collapse of writing.”
That collapse may already be here.
You can moan about it. Or mock it. Or howl at the moon.
But in law, words still rule. Ours is a literary craft, and the written word isn’t retreating from the courtroom or the contract anytime soon. That means you have an opening—an invitation—to stand apart.
How? Read. Every day. Offscreen. (Most people already surrender six to nine hours a day to glowing rectangles.) Read slowly. Study the craft. Absorb technique. You’ll sharpen your own.
As for a New Year’s resolution—why not start there? Make one that lasts.
Judith Viorst
When my mother died, I kept just a few of her things, including her manual typewriter and some books by Susan Sontag, Anne Sexton, and Judith Viorst. Here’s a wonderful interview with the 94-year-old Viorst.
‘Paint It Black’
I don’t make New Year’s resolutions very often, but I really do need to listen to more big band jazz.
Deborah Silver is a marvellous singer.
“Ellie on Wheels”
A former student of mine Elaine Bartels has a truly terrific YouTube channel up and running.
Ellie On Wheels is a channel devoted to nomad life. The goal is to be happy, be free, and to not only survive as a nomad but to thrive with joy, good health and prosperity. Nomad life is a broad term for someone who moves their home frequently. Whether your home is in a car, a van or a trailer, nomad life is a chance to live as you want, on your own terms, without the burden of a mortgage or rent every 30 days. This channel is about living your life in to your best ability while living on wheels. I encourage you to be open to new ideas of what home looks like, and to be curious about what home means to you. I’ve been on a 8 year journey in 8 different vans, surviving in Canada in the most beautiful scenery, during the best and the harshest conditions. Nomad life or, my “life on wheels” began suddenly for me, I was not prepared. I have learned much along the way, I’d be happy to share my knowledge about surviving as a nomad on wheels. I call my vans my “no rent plan” vans!
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