Glutinous Hoo-Ha

Generation Why?

2012-02-01T17:20:00.003-05:00

I just finished yet another home-run essay in this year's Best American series and was easily able to find its online counterpart: Zadie Smith's "Generation Why?"

Don't Multitask

2012-02-01T13:30:00.002-05:00

I've never understood why when I work on one thing at a time, I seem to get more done. I still don't, but this article's ideas please me.

The School Bus

2012-01-29T20:52:00.004-05:00

This evening Jane reported that there's a third-grade girl on the school bus who likes to hide under the bus seat and grab the ankles of passersby to try to make them trip in the aisle. I know that at some level we're supposed to let the kids work out their own challenges at school, but in this case I told Jane that, if the opportunity arises, she might try giving the offending young lady a good kick in the face. Unless, of course, this child has older siblings.

Desk

2012-01-23T20:03:00.003-05:00

We're in the market for a cheap, used kid-sized desk for Jane's room. If you have ideas, gimme.

Today Jane and I visited this thrift store out on highway 70 called the Bargain Center. It's huge, but no good desk.

Yawnsville

2012-01-22T21:01:00.002-05:00

I do a lot of yawning, and it has nothing to do with tiredness. Thinking of the word 'yawn' makes me yawn. I have yawned four times while typing these words. I like yawning. After a good run of a half dozen or so, I feel extra happy. Oh, yeah, there, I just yawned again.

Growing Up Poor

2012-01-20T08:53:00.002-05:00

An article that had me laughing out loud. Oh, excuse me, "lol." I especially liked the bit about the gnat.

No More Bobs

2012-01-18T15:28:00.000-05:00

Why, this is an outrage.

Avante Sings A Song

2012-01-16T15:11:00.004-05:00

Our merry little singing group is preparing some demo recordings. Here's the first, a version of "When I Fall In Love."

An Essay

2012-01-15T19:23:00.002-05:00

As usual, Mother gave me a current copy of Best American Essays. Thanks, Mom--you're the best. I read a particularly well-written thing today and later found an online version. It's very likely I will not want to live in Detroit any time soon.

New Hope Commons Traffic Tip

2012-01-13T14:30:00.000-05:00

Bill Cosby will be coming to the Barnes & Noble at New Hope Commons, which reminds me of a good piece of advice a friend recently gave me. To exit that awful parking lot on a busy day, drive around behind Wal-Mart and take the delivery exit onto Mt. Moriah road.

How Now

2012-01-13T12:48:00.002-05:00

A friend of mine keeps cows and recently had a slaughter-fest. He's selling, so if you're interested in beef, let me know and I'll connect you. Completely grass fed, no hormones, no fertilizer, farm raised, blah blah, and etc as well.

His price list (per pound, except the heart [and what a steal at $14, one assumes]):

Ground Beef $8
Pot Roast $7
Skirt Steak $8
T Bone $15
Hanger Steak $8
London Broil $10
Eye of Round Steak $7
Beef for stew $8
Ribeye Steak $16
Sirloin Steak $15
Cubed Steak $8
Chuck Roast $6
Flank Steak $15
Brisket $6
Short Ribs $8
Porter House Steak $17
Filet Mignon $27
Flat Iron Steak $12
Sirloin Tip Roast $14
New York Strip $17
Heart $14 (whole)
Liver $4
Bag of bones $12
Oxtail $4.50
Marrow Bones $2.50

Scintillating Scotoma

2012-01-13T07:40:00.001-05:00

Some time ago I shared that an optometrist had told me--after I described a strange ocular symptom--that I was probably experiencing something called an ophthalmic migraine. But the headache that comes afterwards doesn't quite fit that affliction, so into the Internet I went. Behold! I have edified myself.

Turns out I am the type of migraine sufferer whose migraines are preceded by an aura. In my case, the aura is called a scintillating scotoma. I know this because some enterprising person has posted an image showing almost exactly what I experience when this happens. Here 'tis. The movement inside that "C" shape is actually more like waves, but the picture is very close. And for me it's on the left, just like the picture, regardless of which eye I cover (evidence that the thing originates in the brain and not the eye). It lasts about 20 minutes, and then the migraine is with me for a few hours.

Sometimes the Internet is my friend.

Busy, Busy Nigerians

2012-01-12T23:34:00.000-05:00

Over the past few years I've been using Craigslist to lighten my load and add cash injections, and I've learned to spot the scammers immediately. One would think that the scams would stop working, but it's clear there are still plenty of suckers out there. This site is particularly good, with examples of scam sentence syntax and other tricks.

Chuck's TedMed Talk

2012-01-12T23:16:00.003-05:00

A while ago I mentioned my friend Chuck's upcoming TedMed talk. It's now online. (He's exactly that way in person, too.)

Knelt

2012-01-12T22:24:00.000-05:00

Emma discovered tonight, after consulting the Merriam Webster, that the preferred past tense of 'kneel' is 'knelt' then 'kneeled.' It's just as well, she told me, because "knelt sounds more professional."

Body Image

2012-01-12T19:58:00.003-05:00

I caught only a snippet of today's State of Things radio show, but it seemed interesting, all about girls and body image and eating. There was a bit about how when women approach a mirror, they never smile, instead adopting a squint of head-to-toe self-analysis. That's a bummer.

What's In A Nom

2012-01-12T07:43:00.003-05:00

We have so much to learn from today's young people, and I consider myself part of the 'we.' Apparently when someone writes "nom nom nom," &c., it's meant to signify chewing.

I shall continue to keep myself at the very leading edge of trends in language.

Holy Shit

2012-01-11T16:07:00.001-05:00

My wife informs me I have waited to long to post here. I'm back. For now.

The news around here is that Kimberly's company is canning everyone at the job site in May of this year. So, the job hunt commences yet again. I've started looking for part-time work myownself.

Updates will happen. At some juncture.

Book Publishing

2012-01-02T19:16:00.000-05:00

This book publishing article pleases me.

Back In Town

2012-01-02T16:04:00.003-05:00

We were out of town. We are now back. I shall write something on the blog. Soon.

Oh, and I've been ODing on Portlandia clips. Here's the latest.

Hitler and Rebecca Black

2011-12-22T21:04:00.002-05:00

Why, just last week a friend of mine introduced me to this cretin of a singer called Rebecca Black and her opus, "Friday." Words fail me. Go find it and listen if you must, but hide any weaponry because I promise you will want to kill yourself.

And while I know there are a million versions of fake-subtitles for that Hitler-in-the-bunker scene, most of them are pretty funny. Here is the Rebecca Black incarnation.

Talking Babies

2011-12-22T21:00:00.002-05:00

That talking babies video wasn't interesting to me, but this altered-version pleases me greatly.

Göbekli Tepe

2011-12-19T06:52:00.002-05:00

I read an exceptionally good article this week in the New Yorker about ancient Turkish stuff. When we win the lottery, I'm taking Kimberly and the girls on a month-long excursion along the Turkish coast via Istanbul and then north to Ankara. It's going to be fun.

Video Time -- Marcel the Shell

2011-12-18T20:09:00.001-05:00

Ben and Lori introduced me last night to Marcel the Shell.

The Inspection

2011-12-14T18:39:00.002-05:00

I've changed my mind. Requiring car inspection before registration is a good idea. More than once over the past 20 years I've neglected to get the inspection because it slipped my mind. The state sent nasty letters threatening fines. The new way is better. I am sorry for any inconvenience my bad judgment may have caused.

Alec Does Tracy

2011-12-12T20:49:00.002-05:00

Alec Baldwin does a nice Tracy Morgan impersonation.

Seriously Disjointed Miscellany

2011-12-11T19:11:00.005-05:00

The kids have had flu shots. A friend of theirs slept over Saturday night. Jane had a dental check-up and cleaning last week. On Saturday the kids baked and decorated cookies with friends. There are varying opinions about the effectiveness of "Rosetta Stone." I just finished a 600-page biography of Hemingway, and if the material can be trusted, the man was a nearly complete asshole. The electric, credit card, and phone bills have been paid. Wednesday a friend is coming over for half an hour while I go onto the roof to clean off leafy crap. On Friday I visited a neighbor and showed her how to publish an ebook; in two hours, she went from Word document file to published Kindle ebook for sale at Amazon. Some day soon I'd like to watch the original BBC "Tinker, Tailor..." production. It annoys me that North Carolina now requires a car inspection before registration can be renewed (both cars are due). We have eliminated (knock, knock) Jane's latest round of pinworms. A friend recently returned from Belgium (Schellebelle, to be precise) and brought me Kwak beer and Leonidas chocolates. The less time I spend on my home computer, the happier I am. This morning the dog was seen tenderly licking a steaming pile of her own excrement. It's remarkable how often NCIS reruns appear on television. Starbucks breakfast sandwiches are tasty. It is now 7:32.

Big Spoon

2011-12-08T19:10:00.004-05:00

I know this man, Mark Overbay, and can confidently report that his nut butters are delicious. I would never say that about just anyone.

To Each Her Own

2011-12-05T21:12:00.003-05:00

Emma just this moment related that a female friend of hers at school likes to hug old people "because they're squishy."

Dance

2011-12-03T13:56:00.003-05:00

A fellow writer dropped this dance video onto my desk earlier in the week. It has nothing to do with writing, it has no punchline or inherent hilarity, but it tickled me. I do so enjoy a good tickling.

Team Seizure!

2011-11-30T17:48:00.004-05:00

I am a participant in Meniere's Syndrome and occasional ophthalmic migraines, and while I'm not an epileptic, I am visually freaked out by flashy things on TV and movie screens and by fast-changing frames. So it is with great sadness (given my long-enduring fascination with Edward and Jacob) that I read this latest bit of news.

Big Kid

2011-11-29T21:20:00.002-05:00

Here's a new one: an overweight kid was removed from the custody of his mother.

Definition

2011-11-28T20:20:00.002-05:00

A friendly spousal dispute is underway. In the comments section (and without Web searching), kindly describe any and all definitions for the word "dork." After submitting your answer, you may Google away, but we're first interested in the contents of your brain.

Turkey

2011-11-25T15:59:00.002-05:00

My friend Ellen shared this, and it's good. Some turkey cooking advice.

Ice Cream

2011-11-21T17:17:00.001-05:00

This is a Ben & Jerry's flavor I would probably not care to try.

Commenting

2011-11-18T10:35:00.002-05:00

On the phone last night, my mom reminded me that it's Daylight Saving Time, not "Savings." I have made the correction. I was also reminded of what I thought was an annoying symptom of Blogger but was actually due to a switch I had incorrectly thrown in the settings area. One can now leave comments on this blog without being a registered user. Sorry about that. Would someone be a dear and test this out--see if it will let you post a comment without logging in. (Word verification should still be in play; this prevents auto-spam-comments.)

Time Change

2011-11-14T19:43:00.003-05:00

My latest idea: change the name of "Daylight Saving Time," as I'm pretty sure no daylight is saved. My proposal is to call it "Stupid Time-Change Time." Jane was asking today why we have the time change, and I answered that we're all just stupid and there's no reason for it.

A Good Flick

2011-11-11T20:00:00.002-05:00

The documentary Where Soldiers Come From was on TV last night. Seriously good.

Petty Tyrant

2011-11-11T19:57:00.001-05:00

This American Life's current episode is excellent. This guy, Steve Raucci--wow.

Church Monkey

2011-11-10T18:18:00.003-05:00

Some time ago I'd discovered that the Archbishop of Canterbury is appointed by the Prime Minister, which I found creepy in a church-state sort of way. But today I learned that one of the archbishop's roles is as "Primate of All England." Now that is just kneeslappingly hilarious. Those English, honestly.

Manners

2011-11-04T20:39:00.004-04:00

In the car today I was reminded of an old 78 record I had as a kid and started humming and singing tunes from "Manners Can Be Fun." The internet comes through again. Here's the recording, (click 'download' when you get there) in its full anachronistic goofiness, sung and narrated by Frank Luther.

Le Film Very Good

2011-10-31T10:44:00.003-04:00

A few posts ago I mentioned the movie Tell No One. My friend Chris Ogden had recommended it, and he was right: it's good. He specifically mentioned it has a very good chase scene. I agree--it's an on-foot chase scene, not one of those annoying shaky-camera multiple-crash car-chase monstrosities. Yes. This movie was well worth the rental.

Hallelujah

2011-10-30T20:13:00.004-04:00

My mom sent me this today. I think we've all seen other versions of this, but these people have one of the more adorable versions, so adorable that their cavalier use of apostrophes can be forgiven.

Being The President

2011-10-24T08:59:00.005-04:00

Excerpts from one of Jane's recent school assignments.

Pros of being president:

You live in a big white house.

You would never compete against your siblings.

You wouldn't have to take out the garbage.

You wouldn't have to eat yucky vegetables.

Cons of being president:

You have to be polite to everybody.

You would have lots of homework.

You would have to live up to other presidents.

Sometimes people throw things at the president.

Cleaning House

2011-10-20T20:53:00.002-04:00

I've been tidying up loose ends on the internet for about a year now. Moments ago I deleted my MySpace account--remember them? I also tripped over this helpful site.

Owl

2011-10-19T20:26:00.000-04:00

Yikes. Keep small children in the house.

Philippe

2011-10-19T18:14:00.001-04:00

If you know my brother and if you haven't seen each other for many years, here's one of the first things he'll ask you: "Is the dream still intact?" Be ready. Have an answer.

Delta Rae

2011-10-18T20:45:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago a friend of mine alerted me to Durham band Delta Rae's upcoming concert at Motorco, but I missed it (the topic came up because their Kickstarter campaign was successful). They've got pipes, those kids. See here and here.

Le Film

2011-10-17T20:26:00.001-04:00

Interesting that a French movie was adapted from an American novel. Tell No One seems engaging.

Busted

2011-10-15T14:21:00.003-04:00

Now that I'm an alumnus of the burglary victim club, I giggle with even greater glee at stories like this one. Just three blocks from us, on Dixon Road, during a house break-in, a motion-activated camera snapped a whole bunch of shots of the offending individual. This picture is just one of them--they were sent around to the PAC3 e-mail list as well as to the police. The police identified him and issued a warrant for his arrest. He hasn't been picked up yet, but still, this makes me happy.

"Oh No"

2011-10-12T13:07:00.002-04:00

It's remarkable the number of times one hears people talk about how scary and awful a particular thing will be in the future (you'll recall "Y2K," among others). Then remember when the government came out with a new version of the passport that embedded our personal information into a radio-frequency-readable chip? And the fear-based-living people talked about how very very scary this was because, with the right device, anyone could help themselves to your personal information, perhaps as you walked past them on the sidewalk.

Meanwhile, the creative people of the world were getting to work. In K-Mart moments ago, I saw a $12 passport-sized billfold that incorporates RFID-blocking technology into its fabric. "Problem" solved.

Fool On Ze Hill

2011-10-11T21:11:00.003-04:00

The most memorable tune from today's car radio experience: a techno-sounding dude singing "Fool on the Hill" in a German accent. Behold.

Algebra

2011-10-10T20:27:00.003-04:00

While I didn't take algebra until 9th grade, Emma is enduring it now, in 7th. Today I've been re-learning math from my childhood. "If a train leaves Chicago at 75 mph and another train leaves blah blah blah." My brain had to stretch a bit, but once it snapped back into place, I was off and running, cranking out Algebra formulas and generally kicking mathematical ass.

NCIS Guy

2011-10-09T18:23:00.002-04:00

The NCIS guy used to be on Adam 12. He's so young and cute!

SmallLittle

2011-10-06T18:43:00.002-04:00

A couple of days ago I told Jane not to describe something as a SmallLittle thing. One of those words is enough, I told her, but she didn't buy it. I've heard others say SmallLittle too--maybe it's a North Carolina thing. It's always followed by a noun (as opposed to standing alone). I've heard "there was this SmallLittle box on the table," but never "the box on the table was SmallLittle."

Midnight In Paris

2011-10-03T17:48:00.003-04:00

...and speaking of Hemingway, we got to see Midnight In Paris last week. I liked it. It was sort of light and fun and silly and shallow, and after about 10 minutes I forgot that Woody Allen had his hands in it. The time-travel element was clever.

Sealander

2011-09-27T16:25:00.001-04:00

Yes! Let's go "camping" with the Sealander. Looks cute, but the video doesn't show how it's steered once you get it into the water.

Writers on Writing

2011-09-26T17:56:00.002-04:00

Almost as good as Hemingway's "The first draft of anything is shit" is this Dante quote: "It seemed to me that I had undertaken too lofty a theme for my powers, so much so that I was afraid to enter upon it; and so I remained for several days desiring to write and afraid to begin."

Phone Calls

2011-09-23T16:05:00.003-04:00

There is one aspect of my "landline" telephone I miss: clarity. Cell phones are nice for short "do you need anything else from the store" type calls, but forget actual conversations. The clarity is bad and there's that awkward lag in time--often a full second or two--that makes people talk over each other because they have no way of knowing that the other person had started speaking a full two seconds earlier. And then it's "Oh, sorry," "Oh, go ahead," "No, you go ahead," "Okay, wait, okay," "Oh, I was just going to say..." "What?" "I'm sorry," "Oh," and so on.

Another Thing I've Learned

2011-09-22T07:24:00.002-04:00

The U.K. Prime Minister appoints senior members of the Church of England. That's just weird.

Ribs

2011-09-20T22:09:00.002-04:00

I ran into my friend Chuck today. He's been a very busy boy. I've had a cracked rib before, and it isn't fun.

Shoe Shopping

2011-09-19T22:05:00.000-04:00

Emma is 12 and now has a shoe size of women's 7.

Craigslist

2011-09-14T18:17:00.001-04:00

Brother Bob's Craigslist Theorem still holds after all these years: the first responder to your ad will always be the flakiest and/or rudest and/or most severely lacking in punctuation and capitalization awareness. This theorem has stood the test of time.

Half Off Food

2011-09-13T16:02:00.002-04:00

Spend $10 for $20 at Whole Foods. The link:

https://livingsocial.com/deals/123805?ref=conf-jp&rpi=27477427

Stuff

2011-09-13T09:30:00.002-04:00

It's nifty when things converge. Yesterday at the dog park a fellow was bemoaning that he'd be spending the rest of the day going to the self-storage facility to dig through his stuff to try to find a tax document he needed for his house refinancing. And this morning I tripped over this article.

Miscellany

2011-09-12T17:52:00.003-04:00

Monday sneaks in again. How dare it. It was a good day: a trip to the landfill "transfer station" with some old crap that's been lying around the yard for eons, and I installed a new toilet. Its 31-year-old predecessor will be on its way to the dump soon.

Emma has been invited to be part of the all-county middle school honor chorus. She's excited. My excitement is tempered by the shuttle-driving itinerary that comes along with it. That girlie loves to sing.

Dinner tonight will include the chicken thighs that have been in the oven in a cast iron pot for 3 hours at 170 degrees.

My friend Tony had a kick-ass art show Saturday. His work hangs for a month at Beyu.

I recently rewatched (a word?) Hitchcock's Foreign Correspondent. It's a good one.

Saturday our soccer team lost 4 to 0. Fuck. But still, it was soccer, and so, fun.

The shuttle departs presently for karate and gymnastics pickup.

Firework

2011-09-01T07:57:00.003-04:00

Hey, Katy Perry picked up VMA's Video of the Year award for "Firework."

Getting Wasted

2011-08-28T20:51:00.003-04:00

This article on college binge drinking caught my eye because our Emma has fewer than six more years at home.

West Bank Story

2011-08-24T14:51:00.002-04:00

This parody is 19 minutes long, but the music and dancing and goofy humor had me giggling good. Behold, West Bank Story.

Food Pyramid

2011-08-19T11:50:00.003-04:00

There's a pretty nifty anti-inflammatory food pyramid over at Dr. Weil's site.

Many Things

2011-08-16T17:18:00.006-04:00

WifeKimberly has informed me that this timedistance between blogposts is unacceptable. (Apparently I am becoming German, with my mashedtogether Germanwordcreation.)

You may wonder what has been occupying my time of late. Many, many things. Laundry, for one. It never stops. Also trips to the dog park with Roxie, which is always fun. The kids go back to school next week, which means there's been a flurry of PTA work to do for Hope Valley Elementary. My friend David was married last Saturday (I also attended his bachelor party; very tame, no large cakes or women in dishabille, alas). The kids have had their annual physical exams. Emma is 12 and had her HPV vaccine. Jane is 9 and is a candidate, but we've decided to wait 2 or 3 more years. The kids were part of these decisions and understand HPV and how it's transmitted.

Let's see, what else. Oh, yes, a lot of singing. And riverdeep, the men's ensemble, is going through that early-stage process where some singers start refusing to sing certain songs because of certain lyrics. But that will all get ironed out. The group needs clear policies and singer contracts, and we're not there yet; when that's in place, the problem will all but disappear. At the moment, we're still endlessly discussing things as a group via our e-mail list. You can't efficiently run a 16-voice choir by groupthink and consensus; riverdeep is slowly figuring this out, so I have hope for the future.

My sister Christine is now married! Congratulations, little sis. Aaron, her dude, is an excellent man. They spent a week vacationing in Cape May. A couple of weeks ago I zipped up to Leesburg to visit family there and hang out at the Shoes cafe with Grandma and the kids.

We were 23 minutes into the first soccer game of the season when the referee called it off because of lightning. We let him leave and then stayed and scrimmaged each other just for fun. Next Saturday's game is at 8 am.

The kids had a fun week at Camp Kanata. They'll probably go back next year. Piano lessons continue, karate continues, gymnastics class continues. School starts August 25th.

Give Me The Serial Comma Or Give Me Death

2011-08-08T13:09:00.003-04:00

I am a strong advocate for consistent use of the serial comma; I always have been. Here's a good article.

Fullsteam

2011-08-07T21:50:00.004-04:00

Last night we headed to Fullsteam Brewery, finally, to check the place out. They don't serve food, but rumor had it that the Durham food trucks surround the place regularly. It was a Saturday night, and there wasn't a food truck in sight. WTF. (My younger colleagues tell me this stands for "What The Fuck," and so is a nice way both to be succinct and avoid being crass; you know I don't like being crass.) So we walked over to Geer Street Garden where there's food. That was nice.

Mosquitoes

2011-08-02T10:17:00.002-04:00

A brief mosquito article. I do despise mosquitoes.

Chimp Feeds Tiger

2011-07-31T16:42:00.000-04:00

Awwwww, look at the chimp and the tiger cub.

The Latest News From My Brain

2011-07-24T20:32:00.007-04:00

I picked up a couple of good movies from Avid during the past week. The first was a Tom Tykwer thing called Winter Sleepers. I liked it, though it got sloppy toward the end (his The Princess and the Warrior is one of my all-time favorites. Wait, no, maybe I like The Lives of Others better; DAMN that's a good movie. I can't decide).

In other news, the newly-opened Dulce Cafe in Sutton Station is a yummy yummy place.

In yet other news, the date has been set (November 19, 2011) for a fall concert combining riverdeep, Avante Singers, and Men in Black. I hope it's fun.

Links For You To Click

2011-07-20T21:13:00.005-04:00

This guy is trying to acquire a house the old fashioned "common law" way.

One Day On Earth trailer.

This silly Brady Bunch thing made me check TVLand, where I found these.

"Cherish the Love" was in my head earlier this evening, so here you go.

Persistence pays off.

Don't stay up too late.

Why I Eat The Way I Eat

2011-07-18T14:17:00.007-04:00

Back when I was experimenting with strict veganism, I was asked what was most challenging about that way of eating. The answer was easy: having to reassure other people that I was going to be okay. Vegan eating was good for me, because while I'm no longer a true vegan, the Vegan Way informs many of my decisions.

So I eat a lot of plant-based food, but I also pop 2 to 3 grams of fish oil a day (long-chain omega 3s, keeping an antinflammatory omega 6 to omega 3 ratio, etc.), I eat flesh occasionally, and about once a year or so I hork down organ meat of some kind (micro nutrients available there are hard to find elsewhere). I also try to move even more than I used to.

Years ago I had the thought that if I ever received an early-stage cancer diagnosis and was successfully treated, I would probably make some lifestyle changes moving forward. The thought that closely followed was to wonder why I would wait for cancer to make whatever these changes would be. I want to eat like a cancer survivor.

And longtime readers will note that these aren't topics I often blog (or talk) about, because I've learned that, generally speaking, No One Wants To Hear That Shit. Relationships are more important to me than evangelizing about nutrition (or anything else, for that matter). Wouldn't you just love me if, during our 1 pm café meeting while you sipped coffee and I sipped tea, I delivered a scintillating lecture about coffee and cortisol levels? No, neither would I. So it's mainly a journey of silence, silence broken only when someone in my life (possibly someone who is not at peace with his own relationship with food) carps about what I'm putting (or not putting) into my own body.

I love reading books on nutrition and health. I've read so many I've lost track of most of them; there isn't enough time to read everything that's available. But six titles return to me repeatedly:

The China Study
Healthy at 100
Anatomy of an Illness
The Divided Mind
Born to Run
Anti-Cancer

And if you have nutrition book recommendations, gimme.

Muppets

2011-07-15T22:56:00.000-04:00

A lovely Muppets tribute.

Food

2011-07-15T09:36:00.003-04:00

David Sirota's article about cheap food is like a very short version of, say, Fast Food Nation.

It is a serious bummer that good, fresh food is more expensive than crap. The few times each year I think to hit the farmer's market in Durham, I come away pleased with my bags of leafy green deliciousness, and shocked at how much cash I had to drop to get them.

Durham Dog Parks

2011-07-14T21:34:00.002-04:00

Finally, two days ago, Roxie had her rabies shot and qualified for a Durham Dog Park registration badge. She's been once to Piney Woods and twice to Northgate Park. It's much too early to form an opinion about which is better. I think Roxie liked them both and was good and tired afterwards.

The Third Person

2011-07-11T15:01:00.004-04:00

There are only 3 musician/singer type people who have sold more than 100 million albums both as solo artists and as members of a band (i.e., both those things separately, 2 x 100 million). The first two are Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson. Who's the third?

New York Chewing

2011-07-10T17:01:00.001-04:00

Has anyone else noticed that people from New York City generally chew their food loudly and with their mouths open? Or am I just being overly Southern? I know one person who is an exception to this (seeming) tendency, otherwise it's smack smack smack smack. Or is it all people from northern states? I'm not sure--still collecting data.

The Ball Game

2011-07-06T10:55:00.002-04:00

Riverdeep sang two national anthems at the Bulls game last night: US v Japan (rain make-up for the 4th). The fireworks were extremely fireworky, and they even played that awesome awesome Miley Cyrus USA song. And Neil Diamond, of course. And Bruce Springsteen. And Lee Greenwood. And Pete Seeger. Hahahahahahaha, just kidding about that last one.

Makeup

2011-07-05T15:59:00.002-04:00

I've always wondered what it would look like if I applied a full year's worth of makeup in one day.

Two Items

2011-07-05T15:52:00.002-04:00

We have returned from three days of camping with our Belgian friends at Jordan Lake. Hot, fun, grueling, swimmy, outdoorsy, and also, there was sangria. And Hoegaarden. One Belgian guy even brought--gasp--cans of Pabst.

In other news, go look at the funny funny laughing babies.

River Time

2011-06-30T21:05:00.001-04:00

I'm in the market for a used 3 to 4 person canoe. If you have ideas, gimme.

Swimming Cat

2011-06-28T18:31:00.000-04:00

Look at the cute kitty taking swimming lessons.

Weekend Highlights

2011-06-26T21:49:00.002-04:00

PuppyRoxie had a grand time Saturday night with us at Geer Street Garden, where they have dog leash clips on the outdoor patio tables and the staff brings a dog water bowl. And they have that Locopops dog treat on their menu: a frozen chicken-flavored popsicle with a rawhide for the stick. Roxie loved it.

We watched a silly movie this weekend called Y Tu Mamá También. I just read about its Oscar nomination, but those awards are more about what's topically relevant in the mainstream and less about movie quality, imho. The thing is 10 years old, so we're out of sync.

Two or Three Movies

2011-06-22T20:59:00.003-04:00

I rented a couple of things from Avid Video last week. Time Out was so slow and uncompelling I couldn't finish it. Together was cute and had some funny moments. I'm pretty sure there was a third movie, but I can't remember what it was.

Keeping You Informed

2011-06-21T14:46:00.000-04:00

Man urinates in drinking water supply.

Airport Fun

2011-06-20T20:55:00.002-04:00

I love stories like this! These guys had fun at an airport after hours. My favorite part is where he pours himself a cold beer.

The Dog

2011-06-16T21:48:00.001-04:00

Here she is, Roxie, our latest family member. We picked her up from Carolina Border Collie Rescue. She's a cutie.

Random News In A Single Paragraph

2011-06-12T20:36:00.004-04:00

Movies this weekend: roughly half of Water for Elephants (a power outage closed the theater, so I have no opinion yet), and The Hangover Part II, which wasn't nearly as good as the first one. The girls are out of school for the year and start at Camp Riverlea tomorrow morning. Tonight Kimberly is off singing the Bach "Mass in B minor" with the Vocal Arts Ensemble. Yesterday for our 17th wedding anniversary (yay, us) we ate for the first time at Revolution. Yummy food. Also yesterday, in the morning, our league soccer team lost a scrimmage 3 to 2 (sniff, sniff). Some time this week we will acquire a new puppy. Bull City Burger is now brewing seven beers, and there was a guy at the bar this weekend with a notebook and seven full sampler glasses in front of him. He's writing reviews for a site, but now I can't remember if he said great beer dot com (doesn't seem to exist) or rate beer dot com. If it's the latter, his review isn't up yet.

Flight Edition

2011-06-08T11:02:00.006-04:00

There'll be no travel in our near future, but these two items caught my eye:

15 Things No Airport Terminal Should Be Without
I really like the first item: a low-cost transportation link to downtown. Our own airport lacks this, and years ago when a light rail plan was being discussed for connecting Durham to Raleigh, there was no airport stop planned. I always assumed the taxi lobby wouldn't allow it, but I don't actually know.

The Knee Defender. This device can prevent the person in front of you from reclining his seat backward. The FAA allows it.

The Lights

2011-06-07T21:13:00.003-04:00

I'm sure others have seen this before, but I was amazed today at the grocery store when in the freezer section the lights turned on in succession as I walked down the aisle. Dude! That was so cool. And then they all turn off when no one's there. Whoa.

Funny Thing That Made Me Cheer

2011-06-06T19:47:00.001-04:00

There's a movie theater down in Texas that kicks out texters. This is funny. (language alert)

Jackson Pollack

2011-06-03T16:16:00.004-04:00

I wrote a few years back about the excellent documentary Who the Fuck is Jackson Pollack? I was reminded of it minutes ago as I watched a very strange but riveting animated thing about Pollack. You don't have to devour and regurgitate the masters! Don't imitate! Do your own thing! Good messages any time.

Museum of the Moving Image

2011-06-02T20:54:00.003-04:00

I tripped over a new phrase today, Video Essay, like this one about the movie Badlands. It's like an extended trailer with running commentary. Very engaging (I never saw Badlands). Here's the main site, Museum of the Moving Image.

Salad

2011-06-02T10:49:00.004-04:00

Looks like someone's fixin' to make a yummy salad.