"When I do not want to say things in real life I often say them here." — Mimi Smartypants
“When I began to write fiction that I knew would be published as science fiction, part of what I brought to it was the critical knowledge that science fiction was always about the period in which it was written. ‘1984’ is really about 1948. It can’t really be understood outside the historical context of 1948.” […]
Three photos from last night’s walk in downtown Tucson (click for larger): Left to right: Donna, Paul, & Schatzi at the start (Maynard’s Restaurant in the old train station) Paul, Donna (w/Schatzi), our friends Darrell & Sue at the Snake Bridge Crowd walking through the Tucson Presidio Last night’s run and walk marked the event’s […]
I laid a 3.5-mile trail for my hash house harrier club this morning. Donna and Schatzi joined the pack but cut about a mile off trail. It was enough for Schatzi — mid 80s, bright sunlight and no shade — and she was glad to be home. I don’t think she’s left that chair since.
Since I occasionally carry a weapon on long motorcycle trips, I decided I’d better get an Arizona concealed carry permit. I had a CCW permit before but foolishly allowed it to expire, which meant I had to take state-mandated training all over again to obtain a new permit. Never mind that Arizona’s on the verge […]
A local restaurant sponsors Monday evening walks and runs in downtown Tucson; so far Donna and I have been to five or six. We quite enjoy the route, which winds through three picturesque parts of Tucson, the 1930-ish downtown section, the hippie-infested university district, and the historical Mexican Presidio (Tucson was part of Mexico until […]
Toni Morrison’s Beloved is a difficult read. Difficult, at first, for mundane reasons. Names you don’t know how to pronounce (Sethe, Halle). Irritating, non-standard diction (whitepeople, blackpeople). A narrative structure that jumps without transition from character to character, time to time, location to location, leaving you to catch up as best you can. A general […]