In My Wheelhouse
you could say that about every E-Musing, i guess...
THANKS, MERRIAM-WEBSTER!
wheelhouse noun. wheel·house ˈ(h)wēl-ˌhau̇s
1: pilothouse
Looking out at the all-but-empty bay from the wheelhouse of the new 28-foot research boat …—Bill Nemitz
2: a place or center of control or leadership (as in an organization)
But while there was momentary calm in the wheelhouse, there was still a real question whether anyone was really in command of the administration's foreign-policy machinery.—David Gelman et al.
3 US
A) baseball : the section of the strike zone where it is easiest for the batter to hit the ball well
The home run came on a 3–2 pitch. [Danny] Graves tried to get Jenkins with a sinker. "It was right in his wheelhouse," Graves said.—John Fay
B) an area that matches a person's skills or expertise
… he was right in his wheelhouse—politics is where [Stephen] Colbert soars.—Adam Chitwood
Typical me, the only definition I ever thought about for wheelhouse is 3B—though I do like the baseball one. At any rate, going with that tertiary meaning, I maintain that this newsletter IS my wheelhouse. Though I possess little in the way of expertise in most fields, I AM a skilled expert in sharing stuff I either understand, or don’t; what makes me sad, or joyful, what makes me laugh, or think…
HERE’S SOMETHING I UNDERSTAND (sorta)
For some reason, I’ve always been keenly aware of the passage of time in my life. Maybe it’s losing a sister when she was 23, or my dad when he was 67, or my Grandma Berrigan at 99—and realizing the randomness of our end points on earth. Maybe it’s been the births and rapid growth of my kids and grandkids, which feel like time-lapse photography. Maybe it’s a somewhat egotistical desire to make my mark, to leave a legacy of some sort.
Love this short video (I love anything that explains things with candy!)
VIDEO: THE TIME YOU HAVE (IN JELLYBEANS)
HERE ARE SOME THINGS I DON’T (AND MAY NEVER) UNDERSTAND
*CRUELTY
*BIGOTRY
*WHY THERE IS HUNGER IN A WORLD OF PLENTY (SEE ALSO GREED, INEQUITY)
*ASTROPHYSICS
*ACTUALLY ANYTHING BEGINNING WITH “ASTRO”
*FIFTH GRADE MATH (2025 EDITION) (SORRY, AIDEN!)
*THE FINALE OF “ST. ELSEWHERE” (IF YOU ALSO WATCHED AND LOVED THIS AMAZING SHOW, YOU KNOW WHY THE ENDING WAS SO CONFUSING)
*WHY ANYONE THINKS JERRY LEWIS WAS FUNNY (I’M SORRY, THIS IS JUST A HORRIBLE MOVIE, AMONG HIS MANY BAD CAREER CHOICES)
SOMETHING THAT MAKES ME SAD
BOOK—ANNA: A DAUGHTER’S LIFE BY WILLIAM LOISEAUX
During his daughter Anna’s very brief life, writer William Loiseaux kept a journal. It is both a harrowing account of his baby’s struggles, and at the same time a tender love story—a father’s determination that his child’s life will mean something, and will be remembered. I will never forget either of them.
SOMETHING THAT BRINGS ME JOY
MUSIC: JESUS LOVES ME (I WANT YOU BACK) —ARRANGEMENT BY SHERIDAN, PERFORMED BY TRIO BARCLAY
This is from the trio’s newly released album “Trinity,” featuring Sheridan’s very cool hymn arrangements. For more terrific music, you can buy “Trinity” here!
SOMETHING THAT MAKES ME LAUGH
This also makes me sad, because he left us far too soon. a comedic genius at one-liners, Mitch Hedberg…
SOMETHING THAT MAKES ME THINK
This is a good interview in advance of his seventh book. Malcolm Gladwell always provokes me to think in new and different ways. I also appreciated his apology for the role The Tipping Point played in the dreadful “stop and frisk” policy…our words often have unintended consequences…
BLOG PREVIEW: TARNISHED ARCHES
Did I tell you about the time we got McDonald’s with Aiden and Peter?
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
Beautiful words to live by, from the incredible Brian Doyle (poet and essayist extraordinaire). Glad to be in the same window of time with you, my friends!