Archive for the ‘Personal Notebook’ Category
The Kids at Camp
While we were away in Rome, the kids (i.e., our greyhounds Azalea & Grant) went to "camp", as Isaac referred to their sojourn at the house of friends Deanna & Brian — and their three greyhounds Wren, Symbra, and Blitz. What a great camp, too: beds and sofas everywhere, a doggie door for going in […]
Flying Can Be Trying
Perhaps it would be more accurate for me to say: not flying can be trying. We did make it home from Rome in some comfort this weekend, but our itinerary held a few surprises. Our original plan was simple: we were scheduled to leave Rome/Fiumicino last Friday morning about 9:30. Consequently we hired a taxi […]
Feeling a Little Behind
I've been around here where you can't see me, not so much busy really as suffering a bit lately from constrained time availability. Over the past two weeks our musical-theatre troupe did its fall production, "Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know" (a telling review), a light, inconsequential, but diverting musical review. Although I avoided weeks […]
Moyers on Universal Health Care as Moral Imperative
Bill Moyers speaks my mind in a discussion with Bill Maher on health-care reform: "We're all in the same boat." That would be the metaphor that would change this [health-care "debate"], that's the moral message that America would send by adopting health care as a human need, which everybody should have access to. The moral […]
In: All, Common-Place Book, Current Events, Personal Notebook
Healthcare: Society and Economy
"Over the last 12 years the number of people visiting America's emergency rooms has soared. Yet here's what's surprising: The number of low-income people going to ERs has not increased. The increase has come almost entirely among middle-class people and many of them have insurance." — Maggie Mahar "We live in a society not just […]
In: All, Current Events, Personal Notebook
It Wasn't a Heart Attack
Over a week ago (8–9 August, to be precise), I spent the night in the hospital, finding out what the vague "observation and test" might mean in my case. For a couple of days I'd been having some vague, not terribly threatening sounding symptoms, mainly a persistent feeling of light-headedness–not dizziness, but more a tendency […]
"The Buried Nose" and "Eye for Science": Scienticity Updates
I have managed in the last few weeks to make a little progress on matter concerning Ars Hermeneutica. (Updating the company website is not one of them, however.) On the book note front, there were some enhancements and new features that appeared some little while back that I didn't mention. Among all the fascinating notes […]
In: All, It's Only Rocket Science, Personal Notebook
Egg Salad
Once a year about this time Isaac goes off for a few days to his annual, regional ACDA* conference. The house always seems quiet and dull with just me and the hounds at home. Last night I distracted myself by mowing the lawn; tonight, it's food. As is my tradition, I consoled myself by making […]
Still More Books
For those who might care* I thought I would mention that I've just updated my online "book of books", the database in which I keep a list of the books I've read.† I only seem to get to updating it once a year or so; therefore you'll find that I've added titles from about the […]
Things Happen
Sometimes there just doesn't seem to be time–or inclination, perhaps–to write about some of the things that have been going on and, partly, keeping me from writing about what's been going on. Not all of it's bad, either, so don't stop at the first one. Some big news I need to mention to some of […]
We Plant a Spirea
At the first house I ever lived in, the house from which we moved when I was between second and third grades, there was a large bush that my mother called a "bridal-wreath spirea". I liked that shrub; in my nostalgic memory I adored that shrub, but that may be recovered emotion due to advancing […]
In: All, Naming Things, Personal Notebook
An Eye for Science
I have been hanging around this blog for the past week but you might not have noticed. Most of my time has gone into the little box on the left (which you won't see if your reading the RSS feed — so visit the site once, already!), with "Eye for Science" at the top and […]
In: All, It's Only Rocket Science, Personal Notebook, The Art of Conversation
15 Books
Tim Wilson made me do this at Facebook. I ended up with 16 because his list reminded me of a couple I'd neglected at first. Choose 15 at will. Don’t take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you’ve read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more […]
In: All, Books, Personal Notebook
Harvey Milk Day
Today, 22 May, was Harvey Milk's birthday. He was born in 1930. In 1976 he successfully ran for a spot on the Board of Supervisors in San Francisco; he was the first openly gay man to win an election for public office in the United States. Last night, 21 May, was another significant anniversary in […]
In: All, Faaabulosity, Personal Notebook
My Birthday Present
A few months ago I had occasion to visit one of my neighborhood car-parts stores. I got the part that it turned out that I didn't really need, but my visit was perked up by seeing a display of "Hello Kitty" steering-wheel covers. Imagine! Such an unlikely item as a steering-wheel cover with "Hello Kitty" […]
Thomas: "There is a proliferation of rights."
I'm reading this article* about an appearance by nobody's favorite Supreme-Court Justice Clarence Thomas, and I notice that I am a bit disturbed by several things. Perhaps not actually surprised, but disturbed. He appeared at an event organized by the Bill of Rights Institute (about which I know nothing) at which he made some remarks […]
In: All, Personal Notebook, Will Rogers Moments
2009 Lammies: Finalists
The finalists for the Lambda Literary Foundation's 21st Annual Lambda Literary Awards have been announced. As their publicity notes, "this year 105 finalists representing 72 publishers are competing for awards in 22 categories." I wanted to draw your attention to these two finalists: Kinsey Zero through Sixty: Bisexual Perspectives on Kinsey. edited […]
In: All, Books, Faaabulosity, Personal Notebook
"Guys and Dolls" Week
As I mentioned before (goodness, was that in December!) our musical-theatre troupe's current production is "Guys and Dolls". Yours truly appears as Harry the Horse (from Brooklyn) and as a dancer in Havana. (Dancer!) There always comes the time in rehearsal reckoning when the first performance looms and we rehearse every evening. That time has […]
Saga of the 'Cello Bow
On Sunday, 22 January 2009, Isaac had planned a recital featuring himself playing some organ music, plus a whole array of friends performing a nice variety of music. This is just the latest installment in a recital series that has seen at least two, sometimes three programs a year since about 1993, the year that […]
In: All, Music & Art, Personal Notebook
25 Things About Me
I kept getting tagged to do this meme,* so I thought I'd get it over with and just link to it again in the future as necessary. Unless I keep thinking of things to add to the list, of course. This is not, strictly speaking, a random list of things about me; I don't know […]