Category Archives: nothing special

The Republicans control the White House. The Republicans control the Senate. The Republicans control the House of Representatives. The Republicans talk about their base; the Democrats have a base, too — one that might reluctantly accept a wall but refuse … Continue reading →

Am I weird that I say “please” and “thank you” to the Amazon Echo in our house?  

Dear Alton Brown, I cheered when Food Network ran The Iron Chef Gauntlet. I grinned when Stephanie Izzard won against the Iron Chefs. I love the new format for Iron Chef. The Iron Chef Showdown reduces the amount of time … Continue reading →

Sometimes the world is a wonderful place: the flea collection of the Natural History Museum in London has its own Twitter feed .

Last night, I went to my usual Monday night trivia game at the dive bar near my house. I was a team of one; there were seven teams of three to six, and one team of two (that finished dead last). … Continue reading →

I am working on an extensive post about the geographical origins of Trumpism, but in the meantime, I just feel like posting something absolutely trivial. (The Trumpism post is still in progress, and while I think it’s important (at least … Continue reading →

I have three separate posts that I am working on. One about Trump supporters and the Deep South, one about immigration and the Statue of Liberty, and one about art museums. And I am not working on any of them. … Continue reading →

I often write about politics. You may have noticed I’m not doing that right now. It’s because anything political is a moving target these days. It takes me a couple of days to digest what is going on, and in the … Continue reading →

I have tremors. Often enough they are severe enough to make walking to the table with coffee without spilling it difficult. So today, I finally figured out… Putting whipped cream on top of the coffee makes it less likely to … Continue reading →

My favorite piece from the Hamilton Mixtape. I wish I could send this to every member of Congress and the Administration. I know, however, that the people most in need of a change of heart will not be swayed by … Continue reading →

While I am recovering, I am watching a lot of television (but no news). Today’s feature: the last day of the Royal Ascot race meeting in London. Talking about the weather, the announcer said “Still quite warm here — 73 … Continue reading →

I went into Starbucks for a Strawberry Acai refresher, when my eye caught the picture of the “Unicorn Frappacino.” The young lady behind the register saw me staring at it in horrified fascination, and urged me to get it, saying … Continue reading →

Note to self, as I sit in the empty classroom: Always, but ALWAYS, check your email before you venture out in chilly 55 degree* moderate rain (heavy for California) on a highway that is nothing but red the whole way, … Continue reading →

I am playing around with customizing this blog, so the look may change randomly for a little while. I am currently playing with randomized header images, which is why every time you click on the blog it has a different … Continue reading →

I have a new laptop — a Macbook Pro 13 in. (Trying to run El Capitan or Yosemite on my 2011 Macbook Pro was proving excruciatingly hard.)   I was considering what to call it following my usual naming conventions (artists). Thus … Continue reading →