Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Art Museums


    Go to the art museum, they said.  It will be educational, they said.

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Boob

    And now you know how the word came to be.

Monday, August 29, 2016

The Internet in the 90's


    Ah, the internet in the 90's.  I remember when you had a separate phone line for the internet, when AOL ruled the web, and when, if you were able to get a connection in under 10 minutes during peak hours, you considered yourself very fortunate.

Sunday, August 28, 2016

Virginville


   Yes, there really is a town named Virginville.  It's in Pennsylvania, a couple miles from where I grew up, and about 20 miles from Intercourse, Penna.

Saturday, August 27, 2016

Chemistry Lab


    For the record, I was once kicked out of chemistry lab - as a college senior, no less - for showing up for class barefoot.

Friday, August 26, 2016

Friday Wine Day


    This is going on my Xmas list to Santa.

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Book Excerpt for the Day



    (I)t is perhaps worth pausing for a moment to remember just some of the things that happened that summer: Babe Ruth hit sixty home runs.  The Federal Reserve made the mistake that precipitated the stock market crash.  Al Capone enjoyed his last summer of eminence.  The Jazz Singer was filmed.  Television was created.  Radio came of age.  Sacco and Vanzetti were executed.  President Coolidge chose not to run.  Work began on Mount Rushmore.  The Mississippi flooded as it never had before.  A madman in Michigan blew up a school and killed forty-four people in the worst slaughter of children in American history.  Henry Ford stopped making the Model T and promised to stop insulting Jews.  And a kid from Minnesota flew across an ocean and captivated the planet in a way it had never been captivated before.

    Whatever else it was, it was one hell of a summer.


    (from One Summer – America, 1927  by Bill Bryson)

  8½*/10.  The complete review is here.
.

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Neil Armstrong


    Coincidence?  I think not.

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Geezer Reminder


    In fairness, at the moment the two time spans are very close.  But this is only going to get more one-sided with each passing day.

Monday, August 22, 2016

Belts


    Sadly, I can relate.

Sunday, August 21, 2016

History Sunday!


    I totally love historical photographs.

Saturday, August 20, 2016

Book Excerpt for the Day


    An old story is told of ancient Lord Rekson, lord of the Agami regions, about how, when a runner brought him the news of the defeat of the Three Armies at Presteen, he insisted that his wizard discover the implications of the defeat by reading the runner’s entrails.  One of the inferences I’ve always taken from that story is that bringing bad news to a member of our beloved ruling class is not an entirely safe proposition; even during times of stomach distress, I’ve always felt that my entrails are entirely happy where and how they are, not lying on the ground and getting all dirty.


    (from Hour of the Octopus by Joel Rosenberg)

    5*/10.  The complete review is here.
.

Friday, August 19, 2016

Macaroni and Cheese


    Full disclosure.  Once upon a time, as a child, I did indeed eat mac-&-cheese this way.  Especially if the mac-&-cheese wasn't very "cheesy".

  And yes, pineapple DOES belong on pizza.

Thursday, August 18, 2016

Grocery Bagging


    For the record, I worked as a bagger in a grocery store one summer, in between college years.   Proper Grocery Bagging *is* a lost art.

    Further details.  This was in Lake Havasu City, in 110-115°F weather and monsoon humidity, and we had to carry the bags of groceries to the customers' cars.  Brutal.  Simply brutal.

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

When does an air conditioner bust?


    In August, of course.  When it's 108°F outside and with monsoonal humidity.  Fortunately, our neighbors have their own A/C repair business, and fortunately they were able to come right over.  It turns out it was a capacitor on the fritz.

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

A Better World


    This is why statistics majors make for crappy companions.

Monday, August 15, 2016

Mythology Monday


    Last Friday was Edith Hamilton's 149th birthday, for those of you who know who she was.

Sunday, August 14, 2016

Sunday Goals


    Well, it is a Day of Rest, you know.

Saturday, August 13, 2016

Things I judge others by


   Truth be told, I will not judge you by whether or not you use your turn signal or not.  But #2 and #3 are deal makers/breakers.

Friday, August 12, 2016

Graffiti Friday


    And Hope Solo, dearie.  Do try to be a good sport, even when your team loses.  The Swedish team wasn't a bunch of cowards.  You and your team just got thoroughly out-coached and outplayed by them.

Thursday, August 11, 2016

Tool Kit


    That covers just about every situation.

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

30 Minutes


    Seems reasonable to me.

Tuesday, August 09, 2016

Real Books Tuesday


    Yes indeed; this is a real book.  You can buy it at Amazon for $3.99 (Kindle version).

Monday, August 08, 2016

Pangaea Joke Monday


    And let's face it, Pangaea jokes are few and far between.

Sunday, August 07, 2016

Book Excerpt for the Day


        And here I was in France.  France seemed so slow to change.  How I loved it.  The Provence I knew was sunny and beautiful, yes, but its darker side appealed to something dark in me.  It was a place soaked in blood, layered with history, mysterious with sorcery and the unexplained.  The countryside fragrant with lavender in summer once smelled of death, gunpowder, and fear.

    (from A Provençal Mystery by Ann Elwood)

    7*/10.  The complete review is here.
.

Saturday, August 06, 2016

My Spirit Animal


   Ah yes, I think I've found my spirit animal.

Friday, August 05, 2016

Intercourse, Pennsylvania


    Yes, there really is a town named Intercourse, Pennsylvania.  I grew up about 30 miles from it, and there are several stories about how it got its name.  It is in the middle of Amish country, hence the horse-&-buggy in the pic.

Thursday, August 04, 2016

Music Appreciation Thursday


    Actually, Garbage isn't half-bad, albeit it's a band from my son's generation, not mine  But they can't compare to anything by Haydn.

Wednesday, August 03, 2016

Once you hit 60


    True dis.

Tuesday, August 02, 2016

Chalk Art Tuesday


   The rendering of the crushed soda can is particularly impressive.

Monday, August 01, 2016

Book Excerpt For The Day


    “We are a famously stealin’ folk.  Aren’t we lads?  Whut’s it we’re famous for?”
    “Stealin’!” shouted the blue men.
    “And what else, lads?”
   “Fightin’!”
    “And what else?”
    “Drinkin’!”
    “And what else?”
    There was a certain amount of thought about this, but they all reached the same conclusion.
    “Drinkin’ and fightin’!”

    (from The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett)

    8*/10.  The complete review is here.
.