Author Archives: AdaptiveCurmudgeon

As soon as I got out in the breeze, the reduced sail inflated and it didn’t look so bad. It pulled me forward but much more gently. Also I began to plow sideways through the water! After a second’s head … Continue reading →

The first thing about sailboats is that sails are not motors. Mine has tremendous (for the size of the boat) square footage. When the wind is strong, all that area is pulling too hard. I believe the word is “overpowered”. … Continue reading →

Did I mention I don’t know much about sailing? I’m living proof one can build things which they cannot operate. (Though I’m improving.) This wasn’t obvious at first but now I understand it deeply. Building a boat (even a small … Continue reading →

[Warning: This and ensuing posts have nautical language when I do nautical things. This is necessary. There are things on a boat which simply don’t exist elsewhere. Sorry if the vocabulary is weird. It simply has to be. Outside of … Continue reading →

There is a theory that’s popular among physicists, writers, and lunatics. Supposedly, we inhabit just one of an infinite arrays of universes. Multiverse theory serves more purposes than a device for sci-fi writers. It’s a way to make sense of … Continue reading →

My defenses were low. Civilization, or want of it, had worn me down. Lest I overindulge, I fled the happy bar and arrived at my campsite 10 minutes later. I loathe reservations. I loathe online reservations. I’d much prefer free … Continue reading →

[This post (or rather series of posts) was composed several months ago. It made it to the ‘net after a long period of gathering dust; first on paper and then on a hard drive. Seasons later, I resurrected it and … Continue reading →

It is -30 Fahrenheit and a snowstorm is raging. These are conditions when you silently think “this is not a drill” and then (if you’re prepared and this isn’t your first rodeo) go about the humdrum business of living in … Continue reading →