Author Archives: paulefallon

About paulefallon

Greetings reader. I am a writer, architect, cyclist and father from Cambridge, MA. My primary blog, theawkwardpose.com is an archive of all my published writing. The title refers to a sequence of three yoga positions that increase focus and build strength by shifting the body’s center of gravity. The objective is balance without stability. My writing addresses opposing tension in our world, and my attempt to find balance through understanding that opposition. During 2015-2106 I am cycling through all 48 mainland United States and asking the question "How will we live tomorrow?" That journey is chronicled in a dedicated blog, www.howwillwelivetomorrw.com, that includes personal writing related to my adventure as well as others' responses to my question. Thank you for visiting.

Thanks to the Academy…

Posted on 02/19/2019 by paulefallon

This Sunday night, the Oscars will be broadcast across America, across the World. The Academy Awards are our cultural State of the Union. The annual pulchritude parade reflects our social and aesthetic coherence—and dissonance—by applauding achievement in that squiggly gap … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal | Tagged 2019 Oscars, Academy Awards, Bob Hope, Brokeback Mountain, Crash, Hollywood, If Beals Street Could Talk, In the Heat of the Night, Kevin Hart, Mary Poppins, Midnight Cowboy, Mystic River, Oliver!, Oscar, Patton, Roma, The Artist, The Hours, The Sound of Music | 1 Comment

Sherlock’s Last Case: Holding a Magnifying Glass Up to Changing Theater

Posted on 02/12/2019 by paulefallon

Everybody was there. Actors, house managers, directors. Folks I’ve met in and around Boston theater over the past twenty years. So many theater insiders lent an expectant buzz to the Huntington Theater’s opening production of Sherlock’s Last Case. I wondered … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal | Tagged Delicate Particle Logic, Flat Earth Theater, Huntington Theater, Jennifer Blackmer, Sherlock's Last Case, theater | Leave a comment

Roma Contrarian

Posted on 02/05/2019 by paulefallon

First impressions matter. When the camera finally pans up from the luscious opening visual of water on stone, more water on stone, even more water on stone; my imagination stirs at the wondrous places it might lift us up to. … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal | Tagged Academy Awards, Cuaron, Mudbound, Roma | Leave a comment

In the Auto Zone

Posted on 01/31/2019 by paulefallon

My recipe for a happy life includes: giving no credence to Breaking News in the moment; being curious of all things natural, technical, and human; and finding humor, rather than fear, in the many things I do not understand. Therefore, … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal | Tagged Auto Zone, car culture | Leave a comment

A Soft Landing: Social Insurance

Posted on 01/29/2019 by paulefallon

This is the twelfth essay in the series, A Soft Landing, which explores how we might achieve a more just, equitable society without violent revolution. As this series evolves, I ricochet between launching test balloons for specific ideas (new Constitution, … Continue reading →

Posted in A Soft Landing | Tagged insurance, Medicare, single payer system | Leave a comment

Suicide Walk to the Sea

Posted on 01/24/2019 by paulefallon

In 1978, the closing shot of Coming Home is Bruce Dern, as Marine Captain Bob Hyde, hanging his uniform on a lifeguard stand and walking into the Pacific Ocean at a funereal stride. He has lost the war, lost his … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal | Tagged Beatriz at Dinner, Bruce Dern, Coming Home, Selma Hayek | Leave a comment

A Soft Landing: Economic Links

Posted on 01/22/2019 by paulefallon

This is the eleventh essay in the series, A Soft Landing, which explores how we might achieve a more just, equitable society without violent revolution. Of all the reasons given for the run-up to the Great Recession of 2008, few … Continue reading →

Posted in A Soft Landing | Tagged Economics, Great Depression, Great Recession, private sector, public sector | Leave a comment

Sorry: Not!

Posted on 01/17/2019 by paulefallon

This morning, as I walked around Fresh Pond, a hoard of runners came upon me and cut me off as they turned left into the parking lot. “Sorry!” One of the women giggled. On Tuesday, our habitually late yoga teacher … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal | Tagged apology, board games, etiquette, manners, rude | 4 Comments

A Soft Landing: Non-Profit, Goodbye

Posted on 01/15/2019 by paulefallon

This is the tenth essay in the series, A Soft Landing, which explores how we might achieve a more just, equitable society without violent revolution. Here is a non-obvious suggestion to make our society more just and equitable: eliminate non-profit … Continue reading →

Posted in A Soft Landing | Tagged charity, foundations, non-profit sector, private sector, public sector, taxes | 6 Comments

A Soft Landing: Immigration: The Ultimate Test of Our Humanity

Posted on 01/08/2019 by paulefallon

This is the ninth essay in the series, A Soft Landing, which explores how we might achieve a more just, equitable society without violent revolution. Immigrants are perfect targets. The foreigner seeking opportunity, refuge, or escape ignites our fear of … Continue reading →

Posted in A Soft Landing | Tagged asylum, immigration, refugees | Leave a comment