Those of you who are (like me) of a certain age may well remember the Permanent Record Cards of our youth. Ah, the fear and trembling inherent in just hearing the threat: if you continue to [fill in the blank … Continue reading →
[NOTE: In response to some queries on this thread, I went back to look at an interview I gave four and a half years ago, towards the beginning of my blogging career. On reading it, I decided it might just … Continue reading →
More from the neo-curmudgeon. I’ve noticed a recent proliferation of unisex bathrooms. I’m not talking about the understandable kind—in a tiny restaurant, for example, where there’s only room for one bathroom. Or in airplanes. Or in the home, where I’ve … Continue reading →
Last night I went out to dinner with an old friend, and came home rather tired. On the way to my bedroom to get into some more comfortable clothes, I was startled when I encountered the following sight on the … Continue reading →
Our lives can be divided into stages according to our relationship to stuff. In the early years, stuff is temporary, ever-changing. We have clothing, but we can’t keep it for long, because we’re always outgrowing it. Likewise, toys and books. … Continue reading →
You may recall that I hurt my knee about two weeks ago. It was progressing, but in the wrong direction—day by day getting worse instead of better. Medicine didn’t offer me much (actually, it didn’t offer me anything), and there … Continue reading →
Many years ago I lived in southern California in the hills bordering the San Fernando Valley. Every day I drove towards the city on the San Diego Freeway and then back again. Back then the traffic wasn’t as bad as … Continue reading →
I’ve been experiencing a tiny health care crisis myself. Sunday night, something or other happened to my knee—one of the body parts of mine that had always been A-OK till now. I woke up in significant pain, and the pain … Continue reading →
[NOTE: I’ve decided to take a short break from ragging on Obama today.] So, do you agree that Eight O’Clock coffee is better than Starbucks? Consumer Reports says it is. I have no opinion on the subject, because I never … Continue reading →
Almost twenty years ago I hurt my back and sustained injuries to both arms that left me with what’s known as neuropathic pain. We all know what pain from an injury feels like. But if you’re fortunate, you don’t know—and … Continue reading →
Gatesgate has reminded us that one of the things that “everybody” knows is not to give cops a lot of lip. This is information that most people learn by their late teens or early twenties, be they black or white, … Continue reading →
One of the greatest things about the internet is the opportunity if affords us to revisit things we thought lost forever. A line from a poem runs through our heads, and we can’t place it. Before Google, it could drive … Continue reading →