Goat-Feathers

A collection of comic, first-person essays in which the narrator wryly examines his tendency to accept endless committees, honors, and busywork that divert him from his primary craft. Through anecdote, exaggerated lists of offices held, and stories of intrusive callers and visitors, he satirizes the social obligations and self-important volunteerism that consume time and produce little reward. The pieces use self-deprecation and a running image of accumulating trivial trophies to explore distraction, vanity, and the mismatch between public usefulness and personal achievement, blending conversational wit with pointed observations about productivity and reputation.