It’s fair to say that I avoid discussing it on increasingly rare family occasions. I won’t offer my opinion of the books because I haven’t read them and don’t plan to. (Not because I’m afraid they’d shake my belief in the scientific method, but because life’s too short, and I’ve heard just enough to have an opinion of Phil’s motives…he sure has given a lot of speeches, mostly sponsored by Intervarsity Christian Fellowship and the like…)

Ooohh!! That sounds to me like something worth writing about!

I mean, come on: One marriage (27.5 years and counting, entirely faithful). An absurdly functional family (except maybe for my brother-in-law the Intelligent Design leader). Grew up neither affluent nor needy (Received $0 scholarship support at UC Berkeley–but back then, you didn’t need much money to go there), in a family that respected intelligence and reading without shoving anything down our throats. No children. Two employers over nearly 40 years. No bouts with various addictions or breakdowns. No blazing career path (no career path at all, actually). What kind of a memoir would that make? Insufficient conflict; insufficient triumphing over the odds; just not a fascinating story.

My writing is a matter of public record, as is some of my speaking (which has come to a near-halt in any case). My awards and honors almost entirely come from the writing and speaking. All of that speaks for itself.

Bit by bit, I’m blogging some notes about aspects of my life; this was one, and there will be others. If I keep at it for another few years, it could constitute a memoir of such–but not one I’d particularly want to write, much less read. Thanks for the kind word, though!

Please write that memoir. I’d buy it.