"The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter." —Mark Twain
What’s going on in my life
Home again, winding down from the elevated level of tension that comes with staying alert while driving long distances and dealing with traffic. How much distance? About 2,500 miles. How much traffic? Be glad you don’t live or work in Los Angeles. Yes, we were there, and yes, it’s that bad. It’s that bad in […]
I grew up with radio, not so much with TV. I don’t think mom and dad got their first set until I was seven; one year later we went to Germany and left it behind. For the next three years all we had was American military radio, which broadcast old serials and sitcoms from the […]
I am “kind and broad-minded.” So says the fortune cookie that came with last night’s Thai takeout. The provenance is shaky at best (Thai food & fortune cookies?), and it’s not really a fortune, but I’ll take the compliment and answer, “Thank you, I try to be.” I’m expecting a call from the Ducati dealer […]
Here, for Mother’s Day, a short and self-indulgent list of concerns: Suspending hashing for the summer. Several years ago I founded a small family hare & hounds running group. Starting three years ago, we quit setting trail during the hottest months of summer. It was too hard to find volunteers to lay trail in 100+ […]
What does that title even mean? Is the cat named Wednesday? Sure, why not? Let’s go with that. My son can’t believe I haven’t said anything about the F-22’s oxygen problems, or about the two whistleblower Raptor pilots who appeared on 60 Minutes last weekend. My first excuse comes easy: I know very little about […]
Yeah, that’s what I’ll call it, a mini-gypsy tour, and add 2012 because it’ll probably be the only big ride I’ll take this year. A friend of mine rides coast to coast, 5,000 or more miles at a whack, at least once each year. What can I say? I am not worthy. The last time […]
Tuesday is a packing day: packing, that is, for a five-day solo motorcycle trip from Tucson to Flagstaff, Las Vegas, Laughlin, and back again. It’s an art … even with a Goldwing, luggage space is scarce … and certain things need to be placed where they’ll be easily retrievable: bad weather helmet, maps, camera, cell […]
Remember our aroused aloe? A month ago, when I first noticed it, it had grown a spike three to four feet tall. Two days later it was over six feet. Today it’s about twenty feet high, and it’s started to bloom. Such a mass of yellow flowers, with prominent pistils and stamens, I have never […]