"The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter." —Mark Twain
I drive a 1994 Ford pickup. It has two 18-gallon gas tanks, and with gas in Tucson at 2.85 cents per gallon (yes, I know it’s a lot more elsewhere in the States, never mind Europe, so spare me already), it takes more than a C-note to fill it up. There are a lot of […]
I use a portable satellite radio receiver to listen to the blues when I’m grilling on the patio. Last weekend the radio wouldn’t work – the antenna lead had been cut in half. I figured our yard guy must have accidentally severed it with a hoe. Since the lead’s coaxial, splicing and wrapping it with electrical tape wouldn’t work, so, for twenty […]
I was hoping something would happen to shift the media’s attention away from Imus. Another Britney meltdown, a runaway bride, something like that. But nothing like the horrific shootings at Virginia Tech. In the wake of the Columbine High School shootings, it became more difficult for kids to be different, at least in dark ways. […]
Could there possibly be a scrap of flesh left on Imus’ bones? Apparently so, because the media’s still munching on ’em. If the British press, with its fixation on the Royals, weren’t even worse than ours, I’d be embarrassed to be an American. Shame on every newsperson and news outlet that gave the story more […]
Yeah, yeah, more dearth. My dad is gravely ill and I’ve been visiting him in Missouri. I’ll start posting entries again soon, I promise. I might even blog about my dad, if he doesn’t mind.
This week saw two family milestones: our son Gregory Charles Isaac, born March 10, 1966, turned 41; our daughter Polly Catherine Marie, born March 16, 1975, turned 32. Happy birthday, kids, and congratulations!
Toward the end of my military career, US Air Force Chief of Staff General Merrill McPeak instituted a host of changes. He was one of those egomaniacs who, put into a position of great power, are compelled to change everything. He killed Strategic Air Command. He made us rewrite every USAF regulation because he didn’t like the word “regulation.” He […]
One tries to ignore pop culture, but it seeps through. Now Maine lobster and Chad have joined forces with the Ma Na Ma Na song to take over my brain. A seafood chain (Red Lobster, or is it Joe’s Crab Shack?) is advertising Maine lobster tail. Say what? What happened to the claws, antennae, head, body, and […]