Paul A. Merkley
Bio
Mental traveller. Idealist. Try to be low-key but sometimes hothead. Curious George. "Ardent desire is the squire of the heart." Love Tolkien, Cinephile. Awards ASCAP, Royal Society. Music as Brain Fitness: www.musicandmemoryjunction.com
Achievements (1)
Stories (101)
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Boxes and a Wall
It was the second Friday in June of 1989. I was working in D.C. My wife was doing research for her PhD thesis. I was called to meet business people at the Canadian Embassy. Some companies wanted to introduce their cuisine to America. Is there a Canadian cuisine? These guys thought so, and it was my job to consider what they said seriously. If they want to market something they call a “Beaver Tail,” I find out what that is and report back to my bosses.
By Paul A. Merkley4 years ago in Fiction
Bridge: a Bridge to Rich Retirement
What a great subject this challenge is! Full disclosure: I am a co-founder of Seniors Junction (www.seniorsjunction.com), a startup that advocates, researches, and delivers serious or purposeful leisure activities to prevent seniors isolation and to help those of us who are seniors to live richer, more rewarding, autonomous lives of purpose and social connectedness. As a retired widower, I am (or was) at high risk for social isolation and the consequences of it, known to be more dangerous to health than obesity or smoking. Add grief to the mix and look out! I’m a good example--after my wife died I had chronically high blood sugar and three major heart attacks, the third one almost fatal.
By Paul A. Merkley4 years ago in Longevity
A Boy and a Burning Barn
“Okay I want to hear what happened, but if you make stuff up I’ll know.” Billy Stubbs wouldn’t know the truth from a fairy tale, but there’s no need to stretch this story, and I told him that. We swapped sandwiches. I don’t like tuna. Billy hates peanut butter. “Ma sent me to stay with my Grandma for a month. She’s old and she could use the help.” Billy nodded. He asked to hear about the barn. I knew he would. But I was in no hurry.
By Paul A. Merkley5 years ago in Families
All is calm
This record is for you. The software will transcribe my short voice clips. If you’re reading it, you’re a scofflaw like me. Scofflaws have to stick together. We’ve all been taught how things work and how lucky we are. In the Before Time there were conflicts of all kinds: between people, between groups, and between countries. Then came the Peacemakers. They took over everything, made a new order, a social compact, though it’s never been clear to me who agreed to it. No more war, and they’re working their way down to the individual level by testing. At age ten I was flagged as having too high an Emotional Quotient. Emotions are discouraged, so at age sixteen I was prevented from reproducing and discouraged from fraternizing, a kind of eugenics to weed out people like me who feel too much. When I go out, I have to wear a chain with an F so that normal folks know to avoid me. No point in corrupting their unemotional lives, I guess. They check on me once a month at a kind of program. We get homework in making apologies and extra courses in logic. Actually, turns out I’m no good at apologies, but I’m fairly good at logic, and that’s useful. I have to look co-operative or they’ll flag me as a scofflaw and I don’t want that. I’ve been an idiot, but I’m not stupid.
By Paul A. Merkley5 years ago in Futurism
