Hello 2016
Greetings, 2016. Let’s be friends. My resolutions are the same as usual—which tells you how successful I am at keeping them. The first is to stay away from sugar for a couple of months and see how that goes (now … Continue reading →
Category Archives: Me, myself, and I
Child-rearing advice: from the mouths of babes
One evening when my son was about four years old, he had stopped watching TV or otherwise amusing himself and had come into the kitchen to stand there for a moment while I stood at the stove, cooking dinner. He … Continue reading →
The perfectly punctual podiatrist
The other day I had an appointment with a podiatrist. My rather modest goal was for him to view a slightly-ingrown toenail, and perhaps offer a solution. I hadn’t been to a podiatrist in many moons, but I chose one … Continue reading →
And all through the house…
…a creature was stirring. Last night was Christmas Eve. I was expecting a visit from my son, who was flying in as a rare treat. I had tidied up, and was putting on the finishing touches while waiting for him … Continue reading →
Political ennui—or is it Weltschmerz?
I’ve been writing about politics for eleven years now, and never have I felt such a sense of dread about it. Dread mixed with a certain lassitude caused by overload. The slowly-approaching and already nearly endless-seeming election campaign of 2016 … Continue reading →
Should we lie to kids about Santa?
Here’s someone who specializes in moral psychology, discussing the pros and cons of telling kids that Santa exists, knowing that some day they’ll find out he doesn’t and realize that you lied to them. The conclusion? Hard to say what’s … Continue reading →
Post-debate ennui
I watched most (not all) of the debate last night. Regular readers may recall that I detest political debates in general, but this one bothered me especially much. Mulling over why that might be, I’ve come to the conclusion that—at … Continue reading →
Do they also serve who only stand and blog?
My friend and fellow-blogger Bookworm had this to say about the work of a blogger: There is probably no higher expression of patriotism than the willingness to serve in your nation’s military. I serve my nation sitting in my warm … Continue reading →
Here are your pre-Thanksgiving instructions…
…for talking to your progressive friends and relatives who might want to stir things up with you at the Thanksgiving table. How to give offense without offense being taken. Easier said than done. At Thanksgiving, I just try to keep … Continue reading →
Trying times
It keeps hitting me that this coming election is the last one that matters. Actually, I felt that way last time. But this time the hour has gotten even later. But maybe it was always too late. When we play … Continue reading →
On Cruz and auditory memory
This tidbit about Cruz (from commenter “Orson”) is certainly interesting, and it explains a lot: According to Sean Hannity, Cruz has eidetic aural memory. He remembers everything he hears ”“ and thus, at the debate, segmented his complaints with perfect … Continue reading →
Leaving the light on
Now that we’ve turned the clocks back—boy, it’s getting dark earlier. And it will be getting dark even earlier before it starts reversing itself. That’s one of the things I dislike about this time of year, and here up north … Continue reading →