Category Archives: nothing special

April is the cruellest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing Memory and desire, stirring Dull roots with spring rain. T.S. Eliot, “The Waste Land” Happy Tax Day. Tax Day — usually April 15th but April 17th this year … Continue reading →

For reasons beyond my control, my posting here (which has been sporadic the last week or so) may get even more sparse. Then again, it might not. We’ll see.

Yesterday was Kara’s gala, “April in Paris.” I was registration manager, at which I did an acceptable albeit not stellar job.  I had a headache and left after my work was done. I also had to listen to an accordionist … Continue reading →

Dear Oracle Corporation: Having driven past your headquarters at least twice this afternoon while wandering the wilds of Redwood Shores, I just want to say that those are some ugly-ass buildings, guys.  Maybe it’s just me, but all that chrome … Continue reading →

Penultimate round in tonight’s trivia game: “Talk Nerdy to Me.”

“Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal.” Attributed to George Will. When I was eleven, my favorite Christmas present was … Continue reading →

We take a break from out scheduled sporting season to return to the previous one (of any significance, anyway).  There is a scandal not merely brewing but full-blown in the world of football. It turns out that one of my … Continue reading →

I hate it when good guys use reprehensible tactics. In the midst of the Trayvon Martin travesty, writer/director/gadfly Spike Lee decided to take matters into his own hands.  He Tweeted what he claimed was the phone number of George Zimmerman, … Continue reading →

To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts … Continue reading →

Generally speaking, I try to keep thematerial in this blog PG, or at the most PG-13. My kids read it,after all. Language aside, I try to be respectful of people’ssensitivities. I have not, for example, discussed Dan Savage’shysterical (and definitely … Continue reading →

The secret to success is sincerity. Once you can fake that, you’ve got it made. Jean Giradoux Dear Foundation: You, as well as the organization I applied to yesterday, state that one of your important qualifications is “a sense of … Continue reading →

I am too cranky to be Jenny, too lethargic to be Amy, and I lack Joanne’s strength of personality.

I was sent a job lead last week — unfortunately just before I found out about my fellow group member’s suicide.  I have been in some state of shock for the past several days — the little bits of writing … Continue reading →

This post by Reginald Braithwaite at raganwald’s posterous identifies the problem of employers — or prospective employers — demanding to see people’s private social media posts with precision and humor.  My favorite sentence? I’m extremely vague on the correlation between … Continue reading →

Dear Mr. Santorum: Not only does the University of California system have American History courses, contrary to your claim to a crowd in Wisconsin, they require American History in order to obtain an undergraduate degree. Now, admittedly, all campuses except … Continue reading →