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Stephen C. Daukas'
Personal Home Page
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Stephen C. Daukas, B.S.E., M.Sc.
Engineer, Geoscientist
American Meteorology Society
American Geophysical Union
American Institute of Physics
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Project Management Institute
Environmental Analyst
Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs
Massachusetts Dept. of Environmental Protection
Bureau of Resource Protection
NWS SKYWARN - KB1RCM, Echolink 463848
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"Out & About in the Delaware Water Gap"
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Links, Shortcuts, &
Other Bits 'n Bytes
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Curmudgeon
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A curmudgeon's reputation for malevolence is undeserved. They're neither warped
nor evil at heart.
They don't hate mankind, just mankind's absurdities. They're
just as sensitive and soft-hearted as
the next guy, but they hide their vulnerability beneath a crust
of misanthropy. They ease the pain by
turning hurt into humor. They attack maudlinism because it devalues genuine
sentiment. Nature,
having failed to equip them
with a servicable denial mechanism, has endowed them with astute
perception and sly wit.
Curmudgeons are mockers and debunkers whose bitterness is a symptom rather than a disease.
They can't compromise their standards and can't manage the suspension of disbelief
necessary for
feigned cheerfulness. Their awareness is a curse.
Perhaps curmudgeons have gotten a bad rap in the same way that the messenger is blamed for
the
message: They have the temerity to comment on the human condition without apology.
They not only
refuse to applaud mediocrity, they howl it down with morose glee. Their
versions of the truth unsettle us,
and we hold it against them, even though they soften it
with humor.
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