There was a tragedy in our family recently. Carol, who was about to take a photograph of my beer-bottle collection, backed into the shelves marked “Pennsylvania” and sent about 20 bottles into a tinkling death spiral to the floor. Two broke into irreparable shards. All was cozy in the den. Here’s where the saga began […]
Inside Baseball
Posted December 22nd, 2008 at 7:10 pm (UTC-4)
When people write about their own professions or subjects of particular interest to themselves, we call it “inside baseball.” There’s a danger that only others who share those interests will appreciate and enjoy the discussion. Others may find it esoteric or, gasp!, boring. This is not exactly what we mean by “inside baseball.” Ours is […]
Michigone?
Posted December 12th, 2008 at 8:26 pm (UTC-4)
This is written on Friday: Blacker than Black Friday in Michigan, after the U.S. Senate failed to muster enough votes to approve a $14-billion bridge loan to the reeling Big Three American automakers. People in that cold North Central state are dejected, frightened, and angry. But unlike the fictional TV anchorman Howard Beale, who famously […]
About You and About Me
Posted December 3rd, 2008 at 7:26 pm (UTC-4)
I have a few things on my mind for this post, but I want to begin with a survey of sorts. Ted Landphair’s America has been up for a couple of months now, long enough for you who’ve checked it out to form an impression. As you see in the blurb next to my autumnal […]
Light to Light
Posted November 24th, 2008 at 1:27 pm (UTC-4)
Thanksgiving time, when the last of autumn’s radiant leaves cling stubbornly to the trees and the first snowflakes flutter in the mountains, brings out the nostalgia in us. It’s during November’s closing week, more than at any other time, that we travel great distances to, in the words of the hymn, gather together and ask […]
Lost Wages
Posted November 17th, 2008 at 8:30 pm (UTC-4)
The City of Las Vegas, individual casinos, and airlines that serve the city want your visit and your money. Repeat visitors with lots of it get exceptional deals and VIP treatment They say that “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” True, true, true. Many’s the time I’ve left my money in Las Vegas. […]
Mall of Americans
Posted November 7th, 2008 at 6:02 pm (UTC-4)
I sometimes wonder what it would be like to work in an ordinary office or veterinarian’s clinic or wine shop next door to some historic landmark, say the Leaning Tower of Pisa. What would it be like to walk to work each day past the Taj Mahal, or live in a little cottage half a […]
Texians
Posted October 24th, 2008 at 6:03 pm (UTC-4)
President Bush has frequently vacationed at his Prairie Chapel Ranch near Crawford. Like former President Ronald Reagan at his Western White House, Bush relaxes by clearing brush. On the January day that he becomes our former president, or soon thereafter, George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, will leave Washington for their ranch near tiny […]
