"Your one-stop source for improper ideology and freedom seeds."
Unsolicited opinions on books, movies, TV shows, consumer products
I’m watching the Democratic National Convention. Last week I watched the Republican National Convention. I don’t want to give the impression I’m obsessive about politics, but the coming election’s an important one and I want to know what forces are in play. Last week I watched prime time coverage of the RNC in Cleveland on network TV and […]
Up early this morning. Took a shower, toweled off, put on clean dry clothes, went outside to clean up dog poop and replenish bird feeders. Note to birds: no disrespect intended. Note to self: next time, shower after outside chores are done. You guessed it: a muggy morning in Tucson. You all know the delightful feeling of breaking […]
“People tend to think of military science as strategy and weapons—fighting, bombing, advancing. All that I leave to the memoir writers and historians. I’m interested in the parts no one makes movies about—not the killing but the keeping alive.” — Mary Roach, Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at […]
Q, our grandson, has been here the past week, bunking in our home office. I barged in this morning to check email and update the blog. While I was at it, we took a selfie. It’s been a domestic week, watching young people’s stuff on TV (Battlebots, which was too frenetic to endure; Zootopia, clever […]
You Can’t Read That! is a periodic post featuring banned book reviews and news roundups. YCRT! News Right-wing conservatives get upset about book banning too. But are schools in Portland, Oregon, actually banning textbooks that deny or call into question climate change? Not really. Texas schools were encouraged to teach Mexican-American history. They’re off to a great start with […]
Our friend Angie’s here for a week, visiting from Tampa. She and I once worked together in the A-10 program at Davis-Monthan AFB here in Tucson. Her company, CAE, sent her from Tampa to Tucson when the USAF awarded it the DMAFB A-10 training contract. I signed on a year later and that’s when we met. She’s back at […]
How do you like my new eyePhone? Grotesque, no? It makes me think of teratomas, those legendary tumor-like growths that contain hair, teeth, and bones (sometimes even eyes). I don’t have a valid reason for showing you this photo other than to disturb your dreams. You can thank me later. I write book reviews and post […]
As I remind Donna every year, she’s not my mother, and Mother’s Day is a Hallmark holiday. I know exactly what Donna’s thinking when I say that: the hell you say.