Notebook
A commonplace book: observations, fragments, reading notes, sketches, and tensions kept precisely because they remain unresolved.
Brian writes to understand, and to be understood. From his earliest remembered story, The Jumps, written at age nine, through his military years and more than two decades in medicine, writing has remained a way of making sense of experience. He writes to examine what he encounters, what it means, and how it shapes a life.
READING NOTE
August 21, 2026
I am reading Shōgun right now, and I am impressed by many things. The one that gets me more than any other is the incredible dignity of the Japanese people in feudal Japan, a dignity that, in many ways, still permeates J…
OBSERVATION
February 14, 2014
So here is the truth: Valentine’s Day brings out a lot of emotions, some joy, some pain, and some apathy. Often, it provides an opportunity for husbands, wives, girlfriends, boyfriends, grandmas, and grandpas to express…
REFLECTION
January 22, 2011
It doesn’t seem as though life has gone just as I had always imagined it. Things are much more obscure, muddled, and convoluted than I could have ever predicted. The clearly defined black-and-white edges between right an…
OBSERVATION
January 14, 2011
Traveling well is an art in itself. It takes imagination to see things in a new light and to do things out of the ordinary. But when does it end? To me, the long, grueling trip home after a good vacation is not meant for…
FIELD NOTE
April 26, 2009
Many people know of Michelangelo and his painting of the Sistine Chapel. But do you know the story behind this profound piece of artwork? Normally, art history is not my cup of tea, but this story is very interesting. Mi…
MEMORY
February 7, 2009
Even though Grandpa has gone to be with the lord, his lessons and wisdom still affect my life. I had a dream last night that seemed so vivid, I thought I was with Grandpa again. It felt as if I had the chance to learn fr…
MEMORY
November 19, 2008
It has been just over two months since Grandpa died, and I have to say I am much happier knowing that he is no longer in pain. I learned so many things from this man, and above all, it was to have no regrets. I truly bel…
MEMORY
January 1, 2006
When you are exposed to certain things, it opens your eyes. You see things that disgust you, and you tell yourself,I don't want to be like that, or I don't want to do that. On the other hand, you see something one time a…
I really do love to write, and it provides quite the outlet for the constant wanderings my brain often takes. Elisabeth will tell you that when my mind wanders, my body is perfectly still, my gaze is fixed, and my breathing even becomes more shallow. She tells me that she knows I am thinking because it sounds like gears grinding in the silence.
September 7, 2018
