The Joggled Mind
Orderly essays from the disordered mind of Dale Keiger.

Latest communiqués

09
Oct
Apparently, the urge to climb could not be knocked out of me

Apparently, the urge to climb could not be knocked out of me

Letter No. 122: Includes risking prosecution in Singapore, a mountaineering dog, and a solitary boy in a tree.
7 min read
12
Sep
Book report for August 2025

Book report for August 2025

Letter No. 121: Includes disparagement of a canonical author, a subtle knife, and the only book I’ve ever read about fashion.
1 min read
10
Sep
Commonplace Book, Pg. 1

Commonplace Book, Pg. 1

Letter No. 120: In which Dr Essai experiments with a new sort of transmission; includes batshit physics, Hannah Arendt, and hints of desperation.
4 min read
16
Aug
Book report for July 2025

Book report for July 2025

Letter No. 119: Includes spies, spies, and damned spies; Iceland when travel there was really fun; and stories worthy of slow reading.
1 min read
14
Aug
No thinking, please, we’re a university, and besides, what good is it?

No thinking, please, we’re a university, and besides, what good is it?

Letter No. 118: Includes the usual grousing, a writer named Zena, and a jaundiced view of higher education, just in time for back to school.
8 min read
06
Aug
Revealed! Clandestine humor at The Gray Lady!

Revealed! Clandestine humor at The Gray Lady!

Letter No. 117: Includes ferocious teeth, a terrifying mutant predator, and much concern about language.
3 min read
18
Jul
Book report for June 2025

Book report for June 2025

Letter No. 116: Includes more completed reads than usual, one book about a crow and another about horses, and impenetrable verse.
2 min read
14
Jul
Because…puffins

Because…puffins

Letter 115: Entirely given over to some insufferably cute images from Dr Essai’s recent excursion to Iceland.
3 min read
16
Jun
Book report for May 2025

Book report for May 2025

Letter No. 114: Dr Essai returns after an unplanned hiatus due to various distractions and misfortunes.
2 min read
05
May
Book report for April 2025

Book report for April 2025

Letter No. 113: Five volumes completed, nine purchased. May need a bigger house.
2 min read