It’s pretty much the norm around my house to combine as many errands as possible into a single trip, and then to grossly underestimate the time it will take to achieve each one. Extra points for failing to achieve most of them, as well. Today was a bit like that. I even got to go …
Author Archives: Jamie
Overdeal
I recently saw a TEDx talk by John Gray, the author of Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus. It was a reminder that there are very many things most women have in common, and men don’t, and vice versa. There is actually an amazing example in a YouTube video (I’ll post the link …
Sulcate
During a trip to a gourmet grocery store the other day, I spent a little time in the cheese aisle. In the end, I only picked up some Jarlsberg Swiss cheese and some hard, Italian cheese which may or may not be blue, but I liked the description. It turns out that the blue-or-not cheese …
Obdt
We found out an interesting fact about a friend of ours, recently. It turns out that although he is fully committed to obeying the law, he is not a fan of obeying rules. Opposite of that, in fact. I’m not sure that’s how he would word it, though. Because obedience is basically doing what an …
Plattensee
Plattensee is the German name for Lake Balaton in Hungary. At almost 50 miles long, it is the largest lake in Central Europe. Although it is a freshwater lake, it’s size gets it the nickname, “Hungarian Sea”. Plattensee translates into English as “flat lake”. But that’s better than the Hungarian name, which basically means “swamp” …
Qishm
Before the breakup of the Soviet Union, when the news media frequently reported that the world’s greatest fear was a US vs. USSR nuclear war to end all wars, and all life on earth (except cockroaches), a friend visited Moscow. When he returned, he was a bit of a celebrity, and was required to tell …
Athena
The Greeks (and Romans after them) had what I think is a pretty amusing set of deities. In fact, I’m pretty sure at least some of the stories were intended to be sarcastic and/or sacreligious. The objects of Greek worship were hardly heros of moral strength and piety. No, the opposite of that. It seems …
Wend
Happy New Year. By now many have begun their exercise programs, diets, and various other self-improvement routines. Although they are unlikely to make it through an entire one twelfth of the year, they are warriors in January. “We”, I should say. As much fun as we make of “them” for making and breaking their resolutions, …
Vehicle
Years ago, Jimmy Fallon was expanding his career from SNL to movies, and starred in a movie opposite Queen Latifah called “Taxi”. With lots of car chase scenes and pileups, it was a bit of a pun from the critic, Mark Deming, who said that “Taxi was Jimmy Fallon’s first big-screen vehicle after leaving…Saturday Night …
Nonborrower
Here it is Christmas Eve, 2019. Merry Christmas to you all. I wish for you all of the joy and truth of the real meaning of Christmas. In the meantime, we watch Elf again. We shop and shop and shop. We eat too many wonderful treats. My wife and I took our two youngest children …
Random Word of the Week 