Category Archives: nothing special

I like scientists, engineers and techie people.*  On my Facebook friends’ list, I have a couple of rocket scientists (one of whom, The Rocket Scientist, is also a geologist), a former physicist, an Oxford-trained mathematician/engineer, a forensic scientist, a clinical … Continue reading →

Jean-Paul Sartre was right.

Why is Sondheim: The Birthday Celebration from 2010 not on CD?  I can’t watch it in the car or when I am doing something else.

I am currently reading  Look I Made a Hat, by Stephen Sondheim. It is the second volume of an annotated collection of his lyrics; this volume covers 1985 to the present, and includes not only Broadway shows but pieces written … Continue reading →

Fulton Street in Palo Alto does things fancy for the holidays: much like Willow Glen in San Jose, every house is decorated, many of them extravagantly. Each house has its own small Christmas tree at curbside bedecked with familiar oval … Continue reading →

On Friday, the Resident Shrink, the Rocket Scientist and I went to see A Dangerous Method, starring Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley and Viggo Mortensen in an account of the relationship between Carl Jung and a young woman who was his … Continue reading →

For anyone confused about the religious and social dynamic that caused me to think of killing myself in the incident recounted in this post, read John Shore’s “Pastor to Rape Victim: He should have killed you. At least you’d have … Continue reading →

We live in a multi-cultural household.  This year Christmas falls in the middle of Hanukkah. The Resident Shrink’s menorah sits on the entertainment center next to the decorated Christmas tree. Two nights ago, she made latkes for us, as she … Continue reading →

Pat, dear: It is always possible to add more ground chipotle pepper to the stuffing if you want to later.  It is  much harder to recover from accidentally doubling the chipotle in the first place. The rum added to the … Continue reading →

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and … Continue reading →

You need a diversion.  Check out the “History of English in Ten Minutes.”  It will take closer to fifteen to work your way through it, given buffering and everything, but it’s well worth the time. And, more generally, check out … Continue reading →

I got my flu shot yesterday when I went into the doctor to get the results of my foot x-ray.  They gave me a paper with the list of possible side effects, but the nurse said I was unlikely to … Continue reading →

My room has been traditionally Penwiper’s stalking ground, metaphorically speaking, especially my bed. (She likes to watch television.)  Either cat is allowed in here, though, and Pandora hides in my closet a lot. (It has lots of semi-open boxes for … Continue reading →

Me: That’s a lovely shade of purple.The Red-Headed Menace: Not on a human foot, Mom.* *I broke my little toe.  It swelled, and the top of my foot turned this really lovely patchwork of purple, lilac and magenta. I have … Continue reading →

I know correlation is not causation.  I know that. However , it seems clear to me that a Vermont fraternity being suspended over a survey question which asked “who would you rape?” stems from the same societal forces that result … Continue reading →